Evan is an anglicised form of the Welsh name Ifan, which itself is a form of the name John (meaning "the Lord is gracious"). It can also be the shortened versions of the Greek names Evander, meaning "good man" and Evangelos, meaning "good messenger". Rarely, it has been used as a girls name, such as in the case of actress Evan Rachel Wood. While Evan has been widely used in Wales since the 19th century, it peaked in overall popularity in the early 2000s.