Evan is the English spelling of the Welsh Iefan, a form of John, and so means "God is gracious". It was common in Wales for centuries and became a mainstream American name in the second half of the 20th century. Evan ranked 55th in the United States in 2000, peaked at number 35 in 2009 and stayed in the top 100 until 2019; in 2025 it stands at number 153.