Vahan

Vahan is actually a simplified version of another common Armenian name, Vahagen. The latter is the name of an ancient god, before the Armenian conversion to Christianity. Vratha-ragna (Avestan uuratha-raghna) was the god of war (comparable to Greco-Roman Ares/Mars and to Indian Indra) and has parallels in Iranian Wahram. Along with Mithra, Ormazd, and Anahid, he made up the great gods of ancient Armenia. Vahagen's name comes from Parthian and in turn from Old Iranian vratha-raghna, meaning "the one who wields vratha" (Vratha was the name of a club/mace which the god held).