Ivanov

Ivanov is a common Slavic surname of Russian origin formed from the given name Ivan (the Slavic form of John) with the patronymic suffix -ov. The construction indicates "son of Ivan" or "belonging to Ivan" and is part of a widespread pattern of Russian and Bulgarian surnames. In practice, Ivanov is most prevalent in Russia and Ukraine, but is also common in Bulgaria and other Slavic-speaking regions. The Cyrillic spellings Иванов in Russian and Иванов in Bulgarian respectively transliterate to Ivanov in English; related forms exist in other languages, reflecting local phonology and orthography.

In culture, Ivanov appears both as a surname and as a character name. It is the title of Anton Chekhov's 1887 play Ivanov, which presents a protagonist named Nikolai Ivanov and explores themes of family, society, and existential doubt. In contemporary usage, many individuals named Ivanov have achieved notability in politics, science, sports, and the arts, including Igor Ivanov, a Russian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1998 to 2004.

Because it is extremely common, the surname Ivanov is frequently found in discussions of Slavic genealogy and in results of surname studies. It also features in various works of fiction as a generic or symbolic name.