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Well, there are plenty of people who like it in my neck of the woods, lol. Ivan has been steadily used for centuries (largely due to teh fact that it's a major religious name - Ivan the Baptist, Ivan Evangelist...). I know Ivans of all ages, shaped and sizes, with many different nicknames.

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I'm tired of it to tell you the truth, but it's still a nice classic.

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*probably should mention that I hate the English pronunciation

I actually like this name. I used to dislike it because I knew a mean Ivan but I haven't seen him in ages and he shouldn't ruin IVan for me! :P
I think it is kinda cute, easy to say and spell and a name that works in a lot of countries.

It just sounds almost comically Russian to me. Kind of like Otto and Fritz sound so stereotypically German or Paddy sounds ridiculously Irish. I just picture an old Russian man with a huge mustache and a fur hat drinking vodka! I can't warm to it for that reason but it isn't a bad name in itself and I wouldn't mind seeing it on someone else's kid. I like that it is quite a rough name, it makes it sound strong.

i like Ivan, as well as Ivana and nn Vanya. i dont see anything wrong with it. Ivan the terrible is actually a pretty badass nickname, especially for someone who goes into sports or business, lol

I like Ivan. I am not so fond of the English pronunciation though. I think that it's a nice classic.

I have a few issues with Ivan. It hasn't really attracted me at all and when I look at it, it makes sense why not.

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First off, it's a "John" name. I don't tend to like male names in that family--not Johann, Johannes, Hans, Ian, Jack, and Ivan as well. They don't strike much of a chord with me. They're a little boring. It's kind of incredible how they manage to cross over as many languages as they do without any one jumping out more than the others to me. :-D

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Also, the standard English pronunciation EYE-van is so incredibly dorky. But the Russian, etc. ee-VAHN sounds like (1) Yvonne when I say it and (2) I am affecting an understanding of or affinity for a language/culture/whatever else that I don't particularly have. Since EYE-van is so firmly established as an English pronunciation it's more awkward for me than with other non-English names to assert the more authentic one.

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It's a very iconic sort of name and, I don't know, I guess I'm not at all a Russophile (although I know it's use is more varied than that). It's just not the feel I go for. I'll get into names from a variety of origins but if I want them to be ones that I use in combos, etc. it suits me better to have something more subtle.

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On a similar note that's what was so hard about coming up with combos for Boris, my biggest cliche exception. I wanted a name that "fit" with it but not something that made it seem like I was trying to project RUSSIAN.

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Hope that makes sense!

This message was edited 6/8/2010, 8:50 PM

I don't dislike it. It isn't ugly or too severe, and it doesn't really remind me of Ivan the Terrible (although it does make me think of Ivanhoe :P ). I'm not sure why I don't exactly like it... I don't know. Maybe I've always thought it was too Russian?

I don't like it. So I'm trying to analyze why I don't. I don't really think it's because of Ivan the Terrible. I think that it just sounds too foreign. Like over the top Russian. I think that's what it is. There are other Russian names I really like, such as Tatiana, but they don't seem so over the top. That's all that I can come up with, whether or not it makes sense.

I'm somewhat neutral on the name. An old buddy of mine was married to an Ivan... maybe in his 40s or 50s now. It's not horrid. There are just many other names people are often more drawn to. Some people might think it's ugly and some might think it's cute. Some may think it's ok for someone else's kid... and you might be that someone else.
You wanting combos w/ that too?