Given name & surname
Ivar
“the archer's bow; of the yew wood”
Ivar is a variant of Ives. One Scandinavian interpretation is “the archer's bow; of the yew wood.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ivar is a variant of Ives. One Scandinavian interpretation is “the archer's bow; of the yew wood.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ivar is a variant of Ives. An origin associated with Ives is Scandinavian. Ivar shares an earlier linguistic root with Ivor. Ivor has been associated with Scandinavian and Old Norse naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Danish usage, Ivar developed from Ívarr.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1896. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ivar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,468
- 1,468 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 133 babies
- 2025
- 133
- #1,384 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 133 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,384 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 99.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 692 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ivar’s family of names
In Estonian usage, Ivar has a short form in Ivo. Ivar shares a linguistic root with Ivor. In Norwegian Nynorsk usage, Ivar has a related form in Iva.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ivar has relatives in 6 languages.
7 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ivar
- Ivar GiaeverNorwegian-American physicist1929–2025
- Ivar AasenNorwegian linguist and poet, dubbed the father of Nynorsk (1813 – 1896)
- Ivar the BonelessKing of Jorvik900
- Ivar Lo-JohanssonSwedish writer (1901-1990)
- Ivar BallangrudNorwegian speed skater (1904-1969)
- Ivar KreugerSwedish businessperson (1880-1932)
- Ivar JacobsonSwedish computer scientistborn 1939
- Ivar FormoNorwegian male cross-country skier and orienteer1951–2006
- Ivar JohanssonSwedish Olympic wrestler (1903–1979)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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