Given name & surname · Bulgarian · Macedonian · Russian · Serbian · Serbo-Croatian · rsk
Иван
“God is gracious”
Иван (Iván) is a masculine given name from Old East Slavic, ultimately from Hebrew. It is used in Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Pannonian Rusyn, and 1 other language.
Bulgarian and Macedonian and Russian and Serbian and Serbo-Croatian and rskWritten in Cyrillic script. In English: John.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Иван goes back to Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān), meaning “God is gracious.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Иван comes from Old East Slavic, and ultimately from Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Macedonian usage, Иван developed from Ἰωάννης.
Иван’s family of names
In Norwegian usage, Иван has a diminutive in Vanja. In Bulgarian usage, Иван shares an earlier linguistic root with Еньо. In Bulgarian usage, Иван has a conventional equivalent in the English form John.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Иван has relatives in 20 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
31 related names in 20 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 81
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Jackequivalent
- JohnEnglish
- Ianequivalent
- Giovanniequivalent
- Evanequivalent
- JuanSpanish
- Gianniequivalent
- Johnnyequivalent
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Seanequivalent
- Johanequivalent
- Joanequivalent
- JeanFrench
- Gianequivalent
- Jonequivalent
- Ivanaborrowing · izh
- HansGerman
- Joaoequivalent
- Giannisequivalent
- JohannGerman
- Johannesequivalent
- JanPolish, German
- Yannisequivalent
- Ioannisequivalent
- Yanniequivalent
- Yiannisequivalent
- Ionequivalent
- Yvanequivalent
- Yannequivalent
- Ivoequivalent
- Giovanequivalent
- Jehanequivalent
- Hovhannesequivalent
- Ioanequivalent
- Jaanequivalent
- Hannesequivalent
- Ivaneequivalent
- Iwanequivalent
- Ieuanequivalent
- Ivanoequivalent
- Hannsequivalent
- 이반equivalent
- Իվանequivalent
- Янкаequivalent
- Honzaequivalent
- Jóhannesequivalent
- Ibánequivalent
- Jankaequivalent
- Jógvanequivalent
- 伊萬Chinese
- ジョンJapanese
- Йованdoublet · rsk, Bulgarian
- Еньоdoublet · Bulgarian
- Ивайлоdoublet · Bulgarian
- ΙβάνGreek
- ΓιάννηςGreek
- Yankaequivalent
- Jóhannequivalent
- Jánosequivalent
- Ioannesequivalent
- Ifanequivalent
And 21 more.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Иван
- Ivan TurgenevRussian writer (1818–1883)
- Ivan BuninRussian writer and poet (1870–1953)
- Ivan PavlovRussian physiologist (1849–1936)
- Ivan the TerribleTsar of all Russia from 1547 to 15841530–1584
- Ivan KrylovRussian writer (1769–1844)
- Ivan GoncharovRussian novelist and official (1812–1891)
- Ivan AivazovskyRussian marine painter (1817–1900)
- Ivan III of RussiaGrand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1462 to 15051440–1505
- Ivan VazovBulgarian writer and poet (1850-1921)
Characters named Иван: Ivan Drago (fictional Russian boxer from the film Rocky IV).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Иван, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ayil
Ayil is a surname from Hebrew.
—
Ashkenaz
“fire like sprinkles” · “so fire is scattered”
>99% boys
Thamah
“wipe clean” · “strike”
>99% boys
Lamec
“to make small”
>99% boys
Japhlet
“he will deliver”
86% boys · 14% girls
Neemia
“consolation of Yahweh”
77% boys · 23% girls
Dumah
“(deadly) silence”
>99% boys
Ilìa
“Jah is my God”
>99% boys