Ian is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ian means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ian across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ian has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ian is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious”. the Scottish form of John.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 258,479 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,801 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6,722 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 117 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 8,537 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 7,592 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ian per year, United States (1912 to 2025). United States peaked in 2005 (6,704/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (428/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1986 (341/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (253/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1999 (17/yr).
Ian has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2005, when it ranked #103 nationally (given to 6,867 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Ann · Ana · Ina · Iona · Ione · Aiyana · Iyana
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