Ian

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Ian or Iain is a male name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן‎ and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain.

From Wikipedia

Ian first appears in the data in 2000 and has been recorded in 22 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2016 with 93 babies (rank #216 that year). In 2024 it was given to 76 boys (rank #216). Its popularity has been fairly steady recently.

Numerology of Ian

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Ian yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

6Destiny numberThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
1Soul urgeThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
5PersonalityThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

1,147

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Outlander: Young Ian Murray — Jamie's nephew

Famous people named Ian

Ian Flemingprose writer · b. 1908
Ian McKellenfilm actor · b. 1939
Ian McShanefilm producer · b. 1942
Ian Somerhalderfilm actor · b. 1978
Ian McEwanfilm screenwriter · b. 1948

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Ian in 2024

Other boys' names starting with I

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
2000	11	#762
2001	12	#782
2002	15	#665
2003	15	#652
2004	22	#527
2005	23	#513
2006	22	#518
2007	34	#395
2008	45	#337
2009	48	#331
2010	70	#260
2011	63	#285
2012	69	#266
2013	76	#252
2014	72	#254
2015	89	#221
2016	93	#216
2017	83	#226
2020	70	#237
2022	78	#219
2023	61	#241
2024	76	#216