Given name · also Scandinavian
Ivor
“the archer's bow; of the yew wood”·“of cut wood”·“an archer's bow”
Ivor is a variant of Ives. One Scandinavian interpretation is “the archer's bow; of the yew wood.” Ivor is a variant of Ivo. Interpretations include “of cut wood” and “an archer's bow”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Original Old NorseÍvarr
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ivor is a variant of Ives. One Scandinavian interpretation is “the archer's bow; of the yew wood.” Ivor is a variant of Ivo. Interpretations include “of cut wood” and “an archer's bow”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Scandinavian and Old Norse naming traditions.
How it developed
In English usage, Ivor developed from the Old Norse form 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
Ivor through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 909
- 863 boys · 46 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 29 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #7,884 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +43%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,884 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 22 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 979 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.
Ivor’s family of names
In English usage, Ivor has a diminutive in Ivory. In English usage, Ivor shares an earlier linguistic root with Igor. Ivor has a related form in Ivo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ivor has relatives in 14 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
Old Norsewhere Ivor comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ivor
- Ivor AllchurchWelsh footballer (1929-1997)
- I. A. RichardsEnglish literary critic and rhetorician (1893–1979)
- Ivor PandurCroatian association football playerborn 2000
- Ivor BroadisEnglish footballer (1922-2019)
- Ivor BuebBritish racing driver1923–1959
- Ivor MontaguBritish film maker (1904–1984)
- Nick KamenBritish singer, model and musician (1962–2021)
- Ivor Grattan-GuinnessHistorian of mathematics and logic (1941-2014)
- Ivor RichardBritish politician (1932-2018)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ivor, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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