2000
#12,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Ivanov
A patronymic surname derived from the Russian given name Ivan, meaning "God is gracious."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,571 Americans carry the last name Ivanov. That puts it at #7,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ivanov surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ivanov with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,985
Census rank
#7,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,986 bearers of the surname Ivanov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivanov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ivanov
The surname Ivanov is of Russian origin, derived from the patronymic form of the personal name Ivan, which itself comes from the Greek name Ioannes, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name Ivanov first appeared in the late 14th century in regions of modern-day Russia.
Ivanov is one of the most common surnames in Russia, as well as in other Slavic countries where Russian influence has been significant. It is thought to have originated among the peasant class, as patronymic surnames were commonly adopted by commoners in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ivanov can be found in a 15th-century manuscript from the city of Novgorod, where a certain Andrei Ivanov is mentioned as a landowner. Another early record dates back to 1495, when a merchant named Grigory Ivanov is listed in a trade register from the city of Pskov.
In the 16th century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the Ivanov family rose to prominence as influential nobles and military leaders. Notably, Prince Fyodor Ivanov served as a diplomat and military commander under Ivan the Terrible and is credited with expanding Russian territories in the Caucasus region.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ivanov include Vasily Ivanov (1775-1834), a prominent Russian painter and academic who served as the president of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Vyacheslav Ivanov (1866-1949) was a highly influential Russian poet and literary critic, closely associated with the Symbolist movement.
In the field of science, Nikolai Ivanov (1851-1919) was a renowned Russian botanist and geneticist, best known for his pioneering work in plant hybridization. More recently, Vyacheslav Ivanov (born 1938) is a celebrated Russian linguist and semiotician, recognized for his contributions to the study of Slavic languages and Indo-European linguistics.
While the surname Ivanov has its roots in Russia, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange. Throughout its history, the name has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, from peasants and merchants to nobles, artists, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ivanov
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivanov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ivanov bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ivanov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 3,803
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 78
- Two or more races1.5% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ivanov
Ivanov appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,826
+1,600 bearers (+71.9%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 4,129 places
2020
#7,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,986
+160 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 638 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,734 | 2,226 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,605 | 3,826 | 1.30 | +1,600 bearers (+71.9%) | Up 4,129 places |
| 2020 | #7,967 | 3,986 | 1.33 | +160 bearers (+4.2%) | Up 638 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ivanov surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,605 | #7,967 | 7.4% |
| Count | 3,826 | 3,986 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.33 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ivanov bearers went from 3,826 to 3,986 (+4.2% change). The surname moved up 638 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,605 to #7,967.
FAQ
Ivanov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ivanov?
Name Census estimates that about 4,571 living Americans carry the surname Ivanov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,985 residents.
How common is Ivanov?
Ivanov ranks #7,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,986 people with the surname Ivanov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ivanov.
Has Ivanov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ivanov went from 3,826 recorded bearers to 3,986. That is an increase of 160 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,605 to #7,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Ivanov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ivanov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ivanov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (3,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ivanov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ivanov (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ivanov mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Russian given name Ivan, meaning "God is gracious." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ivanov (1.33 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Ivanov?
See how many people have the surname Ivanov on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.