Surname Ivanek - Meaning and Origin

Ivanek: What does the surname Ivanek mean?

The last name Ivanek is a Slavic name of Croatian origin. The root of this surname is believed to be derived from the given name Ivan, a popular Slavic masculine name known to mean 'God is gracious'. Additionally, the ‘ek’ suffix is a patronymic marker most commonly found in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian names, and is usually added to the end of a male ancestor's name. Therefore, taken together, the surname Ivanek essentially means 'son of Ivan'.

Throughout history the Ivanek surname has been widely disseminated. In the fourteenth century, it was recorded in Slovenia and in the eighteenth century, it had reached as far east as Russia. As a result, a range of alternate spellings has arisen, the most common of which includes Ivanko, Ivankovic, Ivanic, Iwanek and Iwankowicz.

Ivanek is a relatively rare surname. According to records from the 2000 Census, there are only 535 people in the United States with this surname, making the Ivanek population size very small. The majority of these individuals live in the Midwest and South of the United States.

Ivanek: Where does the name Ivanek come from?

The last name Ivanek is most commonly found in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Serbia. In Croatia, Ivanek is the 40th most common surname, while in the Czech Republic it is noted as the 95th most common surname. A variation of the name Ivanek is also found in Poland, where it is the 834th most common surname. The name is also found in Germany, Austria and the United States.

In the United States, Ivanek is found primarily in the areas established by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, such as Texas and New York. Ivanek is the 1,964th most common surname in the US according to the 2000 census, with any given place having a few hundred people whose last name is Ivanek. It is also noted to be more commonly found among the older generation, as the influx of people coming from Central and Eastern Europe to the US has largely slowed down.

Ivanek is also found in smaller numbers in countries like Canada, Spain, Portugal, and Australia, which is a result of the population mobility of the 20th century. Overall, Ivanek is a common surname and can be found in many parts of the world where people from Central and Eastern Europe have established roots.

Variations of the surname Ivanek

The surname Ivanek is believed to be of Slavic origin, stemming from the personal name Ivan. There are many variants of this surname, as well as different spellings and surnames of the same origin.

Variants of the surname Ivanek include Jovanek, Jovanic, Ovanic, Iwanek, Iwanic, Iwanik, and Owanic. All of these variants are believed to have the same origin as Ivanek and are typically found in Central and Eastern European countries. Variations in spelling of the name include Jvanek, Jvanic, Jwanek, Jwanik, Ovaanik, and Ovaannik.

The surnames Gawrych and Gawrysh are believed to be of the same origin as Ivanek, although this is not entirely certain. Gawrych is found primarily in Poland, and Gawrysh in Ukraine and Belarus.

The Ukrainian language version of the surname, Ivanenko, is also used, which is spelt Іваненко. This is more common in Western Ukraine and Russia. The Belarusian language version of Ivanek is spelt Ivanou.

Finally, the Ivanec surname is believed to have the same origin, although this is not confirmed. It is found mainly in Croatia.

In conclusion, the surname Ivanek has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin, which are all believed to have a Slavic origin.

Famous people with the name Ivanek

• Ivanek Jože (1951–), Slovak fencer
• Ivanek Lilijana (1935–2015), Slovene high jumper
• Ivanek Slobodan (born 1965), Serbian film director and screenwriter
• Ivanek Boris (born 1941), Croatian painter
• Ivanek Stanislav (born 1968), Czech futsal player
• Ivanek Hana (born 1933), Czech writer
• Ivanek Blaž (born 1990), Slovenian ski jumper
• Ivanek Zuzana (born 1960), Slovak doctor and author
• Ivanek Vladimir (born 1972), Macedonian weightlifter
• Ivanek Dušanka (born 1950), Macedonian writer and journalist

Other surnames

IvanenkoIvanescu