Welsh2 syllablesThe Welsh John
Meaning: Yahweh is gracious.
Ifan
Ifan is the Welsh John, and the reason a great many people are called Evan without knowing there was ever a Welsh spelling.
| Origin | Welsh form of John, developed from Middle Welsh Ieuan |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Hebrew Yoḥanan, "Yahweh is gracious", through Greek Iōannēs and Latin Iohannes |
| Pronunciation | EE-van. Welsh f is the English v sound and ff is the f sound — which is exactly why English wrote the name down as Evan |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100 and uncommon in America; ordinary in Wales, while Evan is the internationally common form |
| Variants | Ieuan, Ioan, Siôn, Evan; the surnames Ifans, Evans and Bevan all descend from it |
| Nicknames | Ianto, the standard Welsh pet form |
| Sibling forms | Ioan is the John of the Welsh Bible; Siôn is a later, separate borrowing straight from English John |
History & meaning
Welsh acquired John twice, several centuries apart, and kept both. The first arrival came through Latin: Iohannes, the church's form, became Middle Welsh Ieuan, which is all over the medieval poetry and the parish registers, and then wore down in speech to Ifan. The second came much later and straight from English, giving Siôn — the John of the folk song and of Siôn Corn, the Welsh Father Christmas. Ioan, closest to the Latin, is the form the Welsh Bible uses for the gospel. Three living names, one Hebrew original: Yoḥanan, "Yahweh is gracious", the name of the Baptist and of the evangelist.
Ifan is also the reason for a very large number of surnames. English officials writing Welsh names heard EE-van, wrote Evan, and the possessive gave Evans; the Welsh-spelled Ifans survives too, as in the actor Rhys Ifans. Bevan is ab Ifan, son of Ifan, with the patronymic prefix worn down and stuck to the front — the system behind Welsh surnames generally, set out in more detail on Dafydd and Gruffudd. Worth noting for accuracy: Jones, the commonest surname in Wales, is not from Ifan at all but from the English John, which arrived with English administration.
Why parents choose it
It gives a family the world's most durable name in a form that is unambiguously Welsh, without asking anyone to learn a new sound. If EE-van proves a bridge too far for relatives, Evan is waiting and nothing is lost in translation.
Middle names for Ifan
The soft v in the middle likes a hard consonant after it: Ifan Rhys, Ifan Gethin, Ifan Alexander, Ifan Gruffudd. Welsh families often pair a Welsh first with a grandparent's English middle, which works here too. The middle names guide has more.
Famous Ifans
Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards (1895–1970) founded Urdd Gobaith Cymru in 1922, the Welsh-language youth movement that now runs the largest youth festival in Europe, and opened the first Welsh-medium primary school in 1939; his own name carries the patronymic, son of Owen. Beyond him the name lives chiefly in its derivatives — every Evans and Ifans on a team sheet or a cast list is a descendant of some Ifan. For bearers of the anglicised form, see Evan.
Consider instead
Evan is the same name with an international passport. Ieuan is the older Welsh form, closer to the medieval spelling and slightly more formal. Owen is the other Welsh name that made the crossing into English completely intact.