Meaning & History
Ivanović is a South Slavic patronymic surname derived from the given name Ivan, meaning "son of Ivan." It is akin to the English surname Johnson or the Russian Ivanov. The suffix -ović is a common patronymic marker in Serbian and Croatian surnames, designating lineage or descent. As a surname, Ivanović is widespread across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, reflecting the popularity of the name Ivan in the region. Ivan itself is the Slavic form of John, which ultimately derives from Hebrew Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
Notable Bearers
Among the most internationally recognized bearers is Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic (born 1987), a former world No. 1 and winner of the 2008 French Open. In football, Branislav Ivanović (born 1984) is a Serbian defender who played for Chelsea FC and the Serbia national team. Other athletes include Montenegrin basketball coach Duško Ivanović, Chevalier of the Order of Danilo I; Croatian footballer Franjo Ivanović (born 2003); and Serbian footballer Đorđe Ivanović. Outside sports, notable figures include the Venetian librettist and historian Cristoforo Ivanovich (1620–1689), of Dalmatian origin; Božidar Ivanović, a Montenegrin politician and supreme court president; and Franjo Ivanović (criminalist) , a Croatian policeman known as "Mikulić"?Distribution and Variants
In Slavic naming traditions, Ivanović is the most typical form in the Western South Slavic area. Close related surnames include Ivanković, which uses the diminutive suffix -ko instead of -o from Ivan? In other cultures, equivalent surnames exist: Russian Ivanov (masculine) or Ivanova (feminine), Belarusian Ivanoŭ or Ivanow, Armenian Hovhannisyan and Hovanesian, reflecting the broad occurrence of names derived from John across Europe.- Meaning: "son of Ivan"
- Origin: South Slavic (Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian)
- Type: Patronymic surname
- Usage regions: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia
Related Names
Roots
Variants
(Croatian)
Ivanković
Other Languages & Cultures
(Armenian)
Hovanesian, Hovhannisyan (Belarusian)
Ivanoŭ (Russian)
Ivanova (Belarusian)
Ivanow (Russian)
Ivanov (Bulgarian)
Ivov, Ivova, Vanchev, Vancheva, Vanev, Vaneva, Vankov, Vankova, Yanev, Yaneva, Yankov, Yankova (Polish)
Janda (Czech)
Jandová, Janáček (Slovak)
Janíček (Norwegian)
Jensen (Danish)
Jenson (Norwegian)
Johannessen, Johansen (German)
Jans (Norwegian)
Jansen (Dutch)
Jansens, Jansing, Jansingh, Jansink (Swedish)
Janson (Dutch)
Janssen (Flemish)
Janssens (Dutch)
Janzen, Yancy (Welsh)
Evans (English)
Evanson, Hanson, I'Anson, Jeanes 1, John, Johns, Johnson (Welsh)
Jones (English)
Hancock (French)
Jean (German)
Janz, Gensch, Jahn (Greek)
Giannaki, Giannakis, Giannopoulos, Giannopoulou, Ioannidi, Ioannidis, Ioannidou, Ioannou (Hungarian)
Jankovics (Icelandic)
Jensson, Jóhannsson (Italian)
Nana, Nani, Nanni, Nannini, Zanetti, Zunino (Latvian)
Jansone, Jansons (Literature)
Valjean (Lithuanian)
Jonaitienė, Jonaitis, Jonaitytė (Macedonian)
Ivanovska, Ivanovski, Jovanovska, Jovanovski (Norwegian)
Jenssen (Romanian)
Enache, Ion, Ionescu, Iancu, Ionesco (Russian)
Ivankov, Ivankova (Spanish)
Juan (Swedish)
Jansson, Johansson, Jonsson (Welsh)
Bevan
Sources: Wikipedia — Ivanović