Ivana

• I have always liked my name. I am accustomed to spelling it out (why do people always add an extra 'n', I wonder?) and am no longer bothered by people mispronouncing it (Ivana is pronounced eeVAHnuh). Of course there were schoolyard musings of being called Iguana, and "Ivana *" as in "I-want-a *". But if children don't tease you about a name, they will tease you about something else. I'm just overwhelmingly grateful I wasn't yet another Jennifer. The name is more Balkan than Russian, despite its tie to the ever-popular "Ivan", and I confess I like the European romance of the name even though I was mortified by the personality of Ivana Trump, the only Ivana in the U.S. with any name recognition. Long live the name Ivana.
• This is very common name in Croatia as well anywhere in Eastern Europe. It's my sister's name and I think it's very cute for a girl.

This is a feminine form of Ivan, which is a Slavic form of John.

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