What Does the Name Ivan Mean?

Ivan is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning “Yahweh is gracious (God is gracious).”

Updated June 2026

Name	Ivan
Gender	male
Origin	Hebrew
Meaning	Yahweh is gracious (God is gracious)
Variants	John, Johann, Jan, Giovanni, Ioan
Popularity	A top name across Slavic-speaking countries; in the US it appears steadily in the top 150-250, partly via Spanish-speaking communities.

The meaning and origin of Ivan

The name Ivan means “Yahweh is gracious (God is gracious)” and has Hebrew origins. Ivan is the Slavic form of John, ultimately from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' It has been borne by numerous Russian tsars, including Ivan the Terrible, and is a staple name across Slavic countries.

Variants and related names

Ivan is related to several other names you may recognize: John, Johann, Jan, Giovanni, Ioan. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Ivan?

A top name across Slavic-speaking countries; in the US it appears steadily in the top 150-250, partly via Spanish-speaking communities.

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