Ioan
Boy name · Bulgarian · Greek · Hebrew · Welsh
MeaningGod is gracious · Welsh form of John
- US rank
- #10,695
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #7,048 in 2014
6 babies were named Ioan in the US in 2025. It has dropped 2,628 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 2004–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Ioan you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Ioan
Ioan Gruffudd
Welsh actor (born 1973)
Choose Ioan and your child shares a first name with Ioan Gruffudd, a Welsh actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ioan, like who?” Ioan Gruffudd's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Ioan Gruffudd on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 285,714 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Ioan, 6 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ioan would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryIoan first shows up in US birth records in 1917, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 108 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 2014, when it reached #7,048.
- New on the sceneIoan wasn't given to enough babies to be counted in 2000. It only took off after 2004.
- TrendIoan has slipped 2,628 places over the last five years and now sits at #10,695. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
- MeaningIoan is a Welsh form of John, which means “God is gracious”. Our records link it to Bulgarian, Greek and Hebrew roots.
- OriginIoan is the #6 most popular Bulgarian boy name in the US. That's out of 16 Bulgarian boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Ioan
Ioan is a boy name of Bulgarian, Greek and Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with I and ending in “-oan”. US birth records list Ioan for boys from 2004 to 2025, in 18 of those 22 years. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked #7,048 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #10,695, with 6 babies.
Origin:Bulgarian namesGreek namesHebrew namesWelsh names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.6 | 276,498 boys |
| 2010s | 2.8 | 352,113 boys |
| 2020s | 3.3 | 304,569 boys |
More Bulgarian boy names
- Unisex name: Zahari · God remembers
- Boy name: Matei · gift of God
- Unisex name: Iliya · my God is Yahweh
- Unisex name: Navid · good news
- Boy name: Damyan · to tame
- Boy name: Gedeon · feller, hewer
- Unisex name: Matai
- Boy name: Dejan
Questions about the name Ioan
What does the name Ioan mean?
Ioan means “God is gracious” in Welsh, as a form of John.
What is the origin of the name Ioan?
Ioan has Bulgarian, Greek, Hebrew, Welsh roots in our records. Other Bulgarian names include Zahari, Matei, Iliya.
Is Ioan a boy or girl name?
Ioan is a boy name.
How popular is the name Ioan?
Ioan ranked #10,695 for US boys in 2025, given to 6 babies. Its best year was 2014 (#7,048).