332,826 people celebrate Ivanov Den on January 7, statistics from 2023 show. Of them, 212,653 are men, and 120,173 are women, reported BGNES.
Among Christians, the name Ivan—the Slavic form of Yoan—is by far the most common. It has been the name of a plethora of Bulgarian monarchs. John is the English form, Jean is the French one, Gjon is the Albanian one, Yahya is the Turkish one.
St. John the Baptist, the final prophet of the Old Testament and the one sometimes referred to as the Forerunner of Christ, is commemorated by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on January 7th. Ivanovden is the name of this day, and it is one of the most sacred feasts celebrated all year in Bulgaria. Although the name Ivan literally means "Grace of God," its most significant meaning to Bulgarians is that of St. Ivan of Rila, the nation's patron saint and a symbol of Bulgarian faith and identity.
Ivan and Ivanka are the second most common names for men and women in our country after Georgi and Maria. 130,551 people bear the name Ivan, and 48,639 women bear the name Ivanka. For 2023, 530 newborns were named Ivan, which ranks him in 7th place. In 2013, 806 newborns were christened with the name Ivan, which placed him in 4th place at the time. For newborn girls, the name Joanna is in 8th place in the ranking for 2023, 302 girls were named with it. In 2013, the name Joanna was used for 380 newborn girls, which ranked it 7th at the time. /BGNES
