Iain

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

Iain first appears in the data in 1953 and has been recorded in 68 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2003 with 126 babies (rank #1,181 that year). In 2024 it was given to 25 boys (rank #4,227). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Iain

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Iain 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.

2,899

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

126

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Famous people named Iain

Iain Banksscience fiction writer · b. 1954
Iain Glenfilm actor · b. 1961
Iain Armitagefilm actor · b. 2008
Iain Duncan Smithpolitician · b. 1954
Iain De Caesteckerfilm actor · b. 1987

Share your Iain story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Iain in 2024

Other boys' names starting with I

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1953	6	#3,598
1956	5	#4,182
1957	5	#4,238
1960	8	#3,194
1961	10	#2,787
1962	5	#4,304
1963	8	#3,170
1964	15	#2,155
1965	14	#2,215
1966	7	#3,361
1967	8	#3,095
1968	15	#2,145
1969	22	#1,785
1970	19	#2,089
1971	12	#2,881
1972	15	#2,475
1973	9	#3,550
1974	16	#2,503
1975	15	#2,685
1976	17	#2,546
1977	19	#2,398
1978	19	#2,416
1979	16	#2,825
1980	16	#2,879
1981	22	#2,289
1982	32	#1,788
1983	35	#1,670
1984	33	#1,741
1985	29	#1,987
1986	34	#1,808
1987	49	#1,472
1988	33	#1,965
1989	37	#1,964
1990	29	#2,397
1991	46	#1,752
1992	56	#1,587
1993	44	#1,880
1994	52	#1,723
1995	63	#1,519
1996	86	#1,281
1997	76	#1,429
1998	74	#1,491
1999	92	#1,313
2000	95	#1,344
2001	98	#1,329
2002	113	#1,218
2003	126	#1,181
2004	124	#1,226
2005	106	#1,405
2006	90	#1,607
2007	85	#1,749
2008	79	#1,847
2009	95	#1,658
2010	67	#2,046
2011	69	#1,991
2012	69	#2,020
2013	48	#2,545
2014	59	#2,261
2015	50	#2,501
2016	44	#2,740
2017	35	#3,268
2018	38	#3,066
2019	43	#2,872
2020	45	#2,740
2021	23	#4,420
2022	26	#4,127
2023	24	#4,384
2024	25	#4,227