Evan is a Welsh masculine given name derived from "Iefan", a Welsh form for the name John. In other languages it could be compared to "Ivan", "Ian", and "Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name יְהֹוחָנָן Yəhôḥānān, which means "Yahweh is gracious". Evan is also the shortened version of the Greek names "Evangelos" and "Evander". The name is also occasionally given to women, as with actress Evan Rachel Wood. It may be encountered as a surname, of which Evans is the most common iteration.
