Iv%c3%a1n

Ivan is the East Slavic and South Slavic form of John, ultimately derived from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning God is gracious. It became one of the most common male names throughout Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and other Slavic cultures, borne by several Russian tsars, most notably Ivan III, who unified the Russian state, and Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible. The name has long been used as a generic term for a Russian man in Western languages, reflecting its overwhelming popularity. Related forms include the original John in English, Jan in Dutch and Polish, Giovanni in Italian, Juan in Spanish, and Ioan in Romanian.