ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1966 First Year 2026 Last Year 1998 Peak Year #554 Peak Rank 10K Total Count 58 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1974 First Year 2003 Last Year 1981 Peak Year #1368 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 28 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Jovan What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Jovan is a Serbian male given name equivalent to English "John" or Slavic "Ivan", from Hebrew: יהוחנן. The name is common amongst Orthodox Christians as a result of John the Baptist Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Serbian * Macedonian 📖 ## The Story of Jovan ### As a girl name Jovan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1974, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 90 Jovans were born — ranking #1,368 that year. As of 2026, Jovan ranks #13,843 for girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Jovans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Jovan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1966, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1998, when 270 Jovans were born — ranking #648 that year. As of 2026, Jovan ranks #1,885 for boys with 86 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 10K Jovans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Jovan Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jovan. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Ivan](/ivan) * [Ivica](/ivica) * [Ivo](/ivo) * Jovica * Vancho * Vančo 🎶 ## Names that sound like Jovan Phonetically similar names — useful when Jovan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Joven](/joven) * [Jeevan](/jeevan) * Geven * Juven * Jivin * [Javan](/javan) * [Jovian](/jovian) * Jova * [Govan](/govan) * Shaven * Hoven * Shoven Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Jovan What does the name Jovan mean? Jovan is a Serbian male given name equivalent to English "John" or Slavic "Ivan", from Hebrew: יהוחנן. The name is common amongst Orthodox Christians as a result of John the Baptist What is the origin of the name Jovan? Jovan has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Serbian, Macedonian. How popular is Jovan in 2026? In 2026, Jovan ranks #1,885 among boys' names in the U.S., with 86 babies given the name that year. When was Jovan most popular? Jovan reached its peak popularity in 1998, ranking #554 that year with 270 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Jovan most popular? Jovan has historically been most popular in Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Jovan. Is Jovan a unisex name? Yes — Jovan is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 10% of Jovans assigned female and 90% assigned male historically. What names go well with Jovan? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Jovan include Godfrey, Artis, Windell. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Jovan? Common variants and related forms of Jovan include Ivan, Ivica, Ivo, Jovica, Vancho, Vančo. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦GodfreyPeak #554](/godfrey)[👦ArtisPeak #553](/artis)[👦WindellPeak #553](/windell)[👦LennyPeak #555](/lenny) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧OdilePeak #1367](/odile)[👧ViniaPeak #1369](/vinia)[👧LucillaPeak #1369](/lucilla)[👧AngelenaPeak #1369](/angelena) ## About the name Jovan Jovan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1966 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Jovan's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #554\. Use the chart and map above to compare Jovan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1998 → ](/year/1998) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "J" → ](/letter/j) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.