Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse ''Ívarr'', or from Welsh (which spells it ''Ifor''), Irish (sometimes ''Ibar''), or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form.The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names (1947) by E. G. Withycombe The Norse name is derived from the Old Norse elements ''ýr'' (yew, bow) and ''herr'' (warrior, army): hence, 'archer, bow warrior'. It is possible the old Norse name ''Ívarr'' comes from the Celtic root and may be related to the Celtic root of ''-iv'' which is found in ''St. Ives'' for example, itself possibly referring to yew. This could indicate an earlier shared language origin; potentially through

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...

, previous contact or another source. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name are

Ibar of Beggerin : ''For another saint of the same name, see Íbar of Killibar Beg. For other uses, see Ibar.'' Ibar mac Lugna, whose name is also given as Iberius or Ivor, was an early Irish saint, patron of Beggerin Island, and bishop. The saint is sometimes s ...

, an Irish saint who may have preceded or been contemporary with St. Patrick and probably died in the 500s;

Ivar the Boneless Ivar the Boneless ( non, Ívarr hinn Beinlausi ; died c. 873), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the ''Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok'', he was the son of Ragnar Loðbrok and his wife Aslau ...

, an 800s Viking who was possibly identical to the ''Ímair'' attested in Irish and Scottish annals; and

Ifor Bach Ifor Bach (meaning Ivor the Short) (fl. 1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth-century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south Wales. Welsh Lord of Senghenydd At this perio ...

, a Welsh leader of the 1100s.

People

Religious

Íbar of Killibar Beg Íbar is the name of a very obscure early Irish saint, after whom Killibar Beg - noted in the Episcopal Rental of Clonfert, c. 1351 - in County Galway is named. The original form would have been ''Cill Íbar'' ('the church of Íbar'). Killibar B ...

, an early Irish saint. Unknown if related to

Academics

* Ivor Agyeman-Duah (born 1966), Ghanaian academic, economist and writer *

Ivor Grattan-Guinness Ivor Owen Grattan-Guinness (23 June 1941 – 12 December 2014) was a historian of mathematics and logic. Life Grattan-Guinness was born in Bakewell, England; his father was a mathematics teacher and educational administrator. He gained his bac ...

, British historian of mathematics and logic * Ivor van Heerden, South African-born American meteorologist * Ivor G. Wilks (1928–2014), British Africanist and historian

Arts and entertainment

Ivor Barnard Ivor Barnard (13 June 1887 – 30 June 1953) was an English stage, radio and film actor. He was an original member of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he was a notable Shylock and Caliban. He was the original Water Rat in the first L ...

(1887–1953), English actor *

Ivor Casey Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse ''Ívarr'', or from Welsh (which spells it ''Ifor''), Irish (sometimes ''Ibar''), or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form.The Oxford ...

(born 1983), Irish writer *

Ivor Cutler Ivor Cutler (born Isadore Cutler, 15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorde ...

(1923–2006), Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist *

Iva Davies Ivor Arthur Davies, AM (born 22 May 1955), known professionally as Iva Davies, is an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Davies' music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in t ...

, lead singer of Icehouse *

Ivor Davies (artist) Ivor Davies is a Welsh-speaking, Welsh artist born in Treharris, in November 1935. He currently lives and works in Penarth. As a boy Davies went to Penarth County School. He studied at Cardiff College of Art and Swansea College of Art be ...

(born 1935), Welsh painter *

Ivor Darreg Ivor Darreg (May 5, 1917 – February 12, 1994) was an American composer and leading proponent of microtonal or " xenharmonic" music. He also created a series of experimental musical instruments. Biography Darreg, a contemporary of Harry Part ...

(1917–1994), American composer *

Ivor Dean Ivor Donald Dean (21 December 1917 – 10 August 1974) was a British stage, film and television actor. Biography With his lugubrious demeanour he was often cast as world-weary police officers or butlers, and indeed it is for the role of Chief I ...

(1917–1974), British actor *

Ivor Dennis Kala Keerthi Pasquel Ge Don Augustine Ivor Dennis ( si, ඊවෝර් ඩෙනිස්) (28 May 1932 – 18 June 2018) was a popular Sri Lankan veteran playback singer who was also known as the former student of veteran icon Sunil Santha ...

(1932-2018), Sri Lankan Sinhala playback vocalist *

Ivor Emmanuel Ivor Lewis Emmanuel (7 November 1927 – 20 July 2007) was a Welsh musical theatre and television singer and actor. He is probably best remembered, however, for his appearance as "Private Owen" in the 1964 film '' Zulu'', in which his char ...

(1927–2007), British opera singer *

Ivor Francis Ivor Francis (October 26, 1918 – October 22, 1986) was a Canadian-American character actor and acting teacher. He is the father of television soap opera actress Genie Francis. Life and career Francis was born in Toronto and began his acting c ...

(1918–1986), Canadian-born American actor *

Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...

(1890–1937), English composer and poet *

Ivor Hele Sir Ivor Henry Thomas Hele, CBE (13 June 1912 – 1 December 1993) was an Australian artist noted for portraiture. He was Australia's longest serving war artist and completed more commissioned works than any other in the history of Austr ...

(1912–1993), Australian painter *

Ivor James Ivor James CBE (1882–1963) Percy A. Scholes. "James, Ivor". ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press, 1964. was a British cellist. He taught for many years at the Royal College of Music; among his pupils were those who bec ...

(1882–1963), British cellist * Ivor Mairants (1908–1998), British-Polish guitarist *

Ivor Moreton Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye were an English musical variety double act who were known for performing syncopated piano duets together from the 1930s to 1950s. The duo consisted of pianists Ivor Arthur Moreton (born Arthur Lethbridge; 18 March 190 ...

(1908–1984), British singer and pianist * Ivor Novello (1893–1951), Welsh entertainer *

Ivor Roberts (actor) Ivor Roberts (19 July 1925 – 5 September 1999) was a British actor and a television continuity announcer who often appeared in comedic roles. Born in Nottingham, he returned to acting following service in the Royal Navy during the Second World W ...

(1925–1999), British actor and television presenter *

Ivor Wood Ivor Sydney Wood (4 May 1932 – 13 October 2004) was a prolific Anglo-French' animator, director, producer and writer. He was known for his work on children's television series. Born in Leeds to an English father and a French mother, his famil ...

(1932–2004), British stop-motion animator * Ivor Biggun, stage name of British musician

Doc Cox Robert Doc Cox (born 1 July 1946), also known as Ivor Biggun, is a British musician and former television journalist. He is known for his appearances on the BBC TV programme ''That's Life!'' from 1982 to 1992 and for four albums of humorous, smu ...

Nobility

Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill (14 October 1898 – 17 September 1956) was the younger son of the 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress. His elder brother, John, was the ...

(1898–1956), British art collector

Politicians and diplomats

Ivor Callely Ivor Callely (born 6 May 1958) is an Irish former politician who served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-Central constituency from 1989 to 2007 and a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011, having been nominated b ...

(born 1958), Irish politician *

Ivor Caplin Ivor Keith Caplin (born 8 November 1958) is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hove from 1997 until 2005. Early life Caplin was born in Brighton into a Jewish family and educated at King Edward's Sc ...

(born 1958), British politician *

Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, KP, PC (16 January 1873 – 14 June 1939), known as Lord Ashby St Ledgers from 1910 to 1914 and as Lord Wimborne from 1914 to 1918, was a British politician and one of the last Lords Lieutenant of ...

(1873–1939), British politician *

Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne, 2nd Baronet, DL (29 August 1835 – 22 February 1914) was a British industrialist and a member of the prominent Guest family. Early life Ivor Bertie Guest was born at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, the s ...

(1835–1914), Welsh industrialist, father of the above *

Ivor Richard, Baron Richard Ivor Seward Richard, Baron Richard, (30 May 1932 – 18 March 2018) was a British Labour politician who served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1964 until 1974. He was also a member of the European Commission and latterly sat as a life peer ...

(1932-2018), British politician *

Ivor Roberts (diplomat) Sir Ivor Anthony Roberts (born 24 September 1946) is a retired British diplomat and the former President of Trinity College, Oxford. He was previously British Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Ireland, and Italy. He was knighted in 2000. In addition ...

(born 1946), British diplomat

Sportsmen

Ivor Allchurch Ivor John Allchurch MBE (16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh professional footballer who played for Swansea Town, Newcastle United and Cardiff City, as well as the Wales national football team. Known as the "Golden Boy of Welsh foot ...

(1929–1997), Wales international footballer * Ivan

Ivor Broadis Ivan Arthur "Ivor" Broadis (18 December 1922 – 12 April 2019) was an English professional footballer. During a career spanning nineteen years from 1942 to 1961, Broadis represented Carlisle United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Newcastle Unite ...

(1922–2019), England international footballer *

Ivor Bueb Ivor Léon John Bueb (6 June 1923 – 1 August 1959) was a British professional sports car racing and Formula One driver from England. Career Born in East Ham, Essex east of London, Bueb started racing seriously in a Formula Three 500cc Cooper ...

(1923–1959), British Formula One driver *

Ivor Jones Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse ''Ívarr'', or from Welsh (which spells it ''Ifor''), Irish (sometimes ''Ibar''), or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form.The Oxford ...

(1901–1982), Welsh rugby union player *

Ivor McIvor Ivor Thomas McIvor (16 September 1917 – 3 April 1997) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Сareer McIvor, a key position player, came to Essendon from local side Don Rovers. ( ...

(1917–1997), Australian rules footballer and captain-coach.

Fictional characters

* the title character of ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" ...

'', an animated British TV series * one of the characters in

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

song " A Quick One, While He's Away" * one of the title characters of ''

Ivor Lott and Tony Broke Ivor Lott and Tony Broke was a British strip which originally appeared in the comic book ''Cor!!'' on 6 June 1970, before moving to '' Buster'' when the two comics merged in June 1974. The comic strip lasted until the final issue of ''Buster'' on 3 ...

'', a British comic strip * a main character in the video game ''

Minecraft Story Mode ''Minecraft: Story Mode'' is an episodic point-and-click video game developed and published by Telltale Games, based on Mojang Studios' sandbox video game ''Minecraft''. The first five episodes were released between October 2015 through Ma ...

'' * a character in the comedy duo act

Damo and Ivor Damo and Ivor was a comedy duo act from Ireland, composed of two contrasting Dublin stereotypes, both portrayed by Andrew Quirke. The characters first appeared on bebo and YouTube - most notably in 'Skanger Me Banger(sic)'in late 2007/early 20 ...

References

{{given name Masculine given names