Ivor is an English masculine given name derived from the Welsh Ifor and Ibar meaning Archer or Yew; probably as Yew wood was commonly used to make bows. It is unknown if it is related to Old Norse Ívarr (modern Scandinavian Ivar) however both share similar etymologies as the Norse 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[1] for example, itself possibly referring to Yew. This could indicate an earlier shared language origin; potentially through Indo-European, previous contact or another source.

Some of the earliest known bearers of the name are Ibar of Beggerin, an Irish saint who may have preceded or being contemporary of St.Patrick and probably died in the 500s. Ivar the Boneless who was a Viking and possibly the Ímair attested to in Irish and Scottish annals; he lived in the 800s and Ifor Bach, a Welsh leader of the 1100s, is another historical namesake.