Ivo


Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated South Slavic name is a variant of the name Ivan.

Origins

The name is recorded from the High Middle Ages among the Normans of France and England. The name's etymology may be either Germanic or Celtic, in either case deriving from a given name with a first element meaning "yew". The name may have been spread by the cult of Saint Ivo, patron saint of Brittany.
The Slavic name is a hypocorism, like its variant Ivica.

Variations

Ivo has the genitive form of "Ives" in the place name St Ives. In France, the usual variation of the name is Yves. In the Hispanic countries of Latin America, the name is commonly spelled Evo but Ivo is still the more common spelling.
Feminine equivalents of the name include Iva, Eva, and Yvette, amongst others.

People

Medieval