Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן (Yohanan, Yôḥānān) and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain. It is a popular name in the English-speaking world and in Scotland, where it originated.
Pronunciation | /ˈiːən/ Scottish Gaelic: [ˈiaɲ][1] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Scottish Gaelic, from Hebrew Yohanan |
Other names | |
Related names | John, Evan, Giovanni, Hans, Juan, Hovhannes, Ioan, Ioane, Ivan, Iven, Ifan, Jack, Jackson, Jan, Jane, Janez, Jean, Jhon, Joan, João, Johan/Johann, Johanan, Johannes, Jonne, Jovan, Juhani, Sean, Shane, Siôn, Yahya, Yohannes |
Look up Ian, ian, -ian, or Iain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
The name has fallen out of the top 100 male baby names in the United Kingdom, having peaked in popularity as one of the top 10 names throughout the 1960s,[2]. In 1900, Ian was the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales.[3] In the United States, the name first appeared in the top 100 in 1982 and has been in the top 100 every year since then, peaking at 65 in 2003.[4]
Other Gaelic forms of "John" include "Seonaidh" ("Johnny" from Lowland Scots), "Seon" (from English), "Seathan", and "Seán" and "Eoin" (from Irish). Its Welsh counterpart is Ioan and Breton equivalent is Yann.
Notable Ians
As a first name (alphabetical by family name)
- Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa (born 1969), birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa
- Ian Agol (born 1970), American mathematician
- Ian Anderson (musician), lead of rock band Jethro Tull
- Ian Astbury, singer of rock band The Cult
- Ian Bairnson, guitarist of The Alan Parsons Project and Pilot
- Ian Baker-Finch, golfer and 1991 British Open winner
- Ian Bannen (1928–1999), British actor
- Ian Bell, English cricketer
- Ian Berry (disambiguation)
- Ian Black (disambiguation)
- Sir Ian Blair, former Head of the Metropolitan Police Service
- Ian Bohen (born 1976), American actor
- Ian Bolton (born 1953), English footballer
- Sir Ian Botham, cricketer
- Ian Brady, Moors murderer
- Ian Bremmer (born 1969), political scientist, author, entrepreneur
- Ian Broudie, singer in The Lightning Seeds, and music producer
- Ian Brown, singer and lyricist in The Stone Roses
- Ian Callaghan (born 1942), Liverpool footballer with the most appearances
- Ian Callum (born 1954), design director for Jaguar
- Ian Cameron (disambiguation)
- Ian Carmichael (1920–2010), OBE, actor
- Ian Carter / iDubbbzTV (born 1990), YouTube personality
- Ian Cashmore (born 1970), broadcaster/presenter and paranormal investigator
- Ian Chappell (born 1943), former Australian cricketer
- Ian Charleson (1949–1990), Scottish/British actor
- Ian Clark (disambiguation)
- Ian Clyde (born 1956), boxer
- Ian Cole (born 1989), hockey player
- Ian Collier (1943–2008), singer and actor
- Ian Cooper (disambiguation)
- Ian Crocker (born 1982), swimmer
- Ian Curtis (1956-1980), singer and lyricist in Joy Division
- Ian Davidson (disambiguation)
- Ian Davis (disambiguation)
- Ian Desmond (born 1985), Major League Baseball shortstop
- Ian Dury (1942–2000), singer and songwriter
- Ian Eagle (born 1969), American sports announcer
- Ian Edmond (born 1978), swimmer
- Ian Falconer (born 1959), American author and illustrator
- Ian Ferguson (disambiguation)
- Ian Flanagan (born 1982), tennis player
- Ian Fleming, novelist, creator of James Bond
- Ian Flynn (born 1982), American comic book writer
- Ian Frazier (born 1951), writer and humorist
- Ian Froman (born 1937), South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron
- Ian Gibbons (musician) (1952–2019), English keyboardist, member of The Kinks
- Ian Gibson (disambiguation)
- Ian Gillan, lead singer of hard rock band Deep Purple
- Ian Gleed DSO DFC, English Royal Air Force flying ace and one of the Few
- Ian Gold, former American football player
- Ian Gomm (born 1947), British guitarist and singer
- Ian Goodfellow (born 1985), Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group at Apple computer
- Ian Gow, British Member of Parliament assassinated by IRA terrorists in 1990
- Ian Greig, former English cricketer and brother of Tony Greig
- Ian Grist (1938–2002), British politician
- Ian Hallard (born 1974), actor
- Ian Hamilton (disambiguation)
- Ian Harding ( born 1986), actor
- Ian Hart (born 1964), actor
- Ian Haugland, drummer for the band Europe
- Ian Healy (born 1964), former Australian Wicket-Keeper
- Ian Hecox, comedian with Smosh
- Ian Henderson (footballer), current Norwich City F.C. player in the FA Premier League
- Ian Henderson (news presenter) (born 1952), Australian news presenter
- Ian Henderson (police officer), former head of secret police in Bahrain, accused of torture
- Ian Henderson (rugby league), Scottish rugby hooker who plays in Australia
- Ian Hennessy (born 1967), Irish soccer player
- Ian Hicks (disambiguation)
- Ian Hill, bassist for metal band Judas Priest
- Ian Hislop, satirist and editor of Private Eye
- Ian Holm (1931–2020), British actor
- Ian Hornak (1944–2002), painter
- Ian Hunter (actor) (1900–1975), English actor
- Ian Hunter (singer), singer of Mott the Hoople
- Ian Huntley, double murderer
- Ian Jacobs (academic) (born 1957), English academic, gynaecological oncologist, gynaecologist/obstetrician
- Ian Jacobs, Australian kickboxer and former 3 time World Kickboxing Champion
- Ian James (athlete) (born 1963), Olympic athlete
- Ian James Corlett (born 1962), cartoon writer and voice actor
- Ian Jones-Quartey (born 1984), animator
- Ian Joyce (born 1985), American soccer player
- Ian Kahn (born 1972), American actor
- Ian Karmel (born 1984), American stand-up comedian and writer
- Ian Kennedy (born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ian Kershaw (born 1943), historian
- Ian Kinsler (born 1982), Israeli-American Major League Baseball All Star second baseman
- Ian Laperrière (born 1974), hockey player
- Ian Lavender (born 1946), actor
- Ian Law (born 1938), Australian footballer
- Ian Levy (disambiguation):
- Ian Levy (politician), British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019
- Ian Hideo Levy (born 1950), American author
- Ian Livingstone (born 1949), author
- Ian Lorimer, television director
- Ian Lucas (born 1960), politician
- Ian MacArthur (1925–2007), politician
- Ian MacDonald (1948–2003), author
- Ian MacKaye (born 1962), musician
- Ian Mahinmi (born 1986), basketball player
- Ian Martin (disambiguation)
- Ian Matthews (drummer) (born 1971), drummer for Kasabian
- Ian Maxtone-Graham (born 1959), television writer and producer
- Ian McAteer (born 1961), former gangster from Glasgow
- Ian McCaskill (1938–2016), weather forecaster
- Ian McCulloch (actor) (born 1939), actor
- Ian McCulloch (singer), singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen
- Ian McCulloch (snooker player) (born 1971), snooker player
- Ian McDiarmid (born 1944), actor
- Ian McDonald (musician), British musician, best known for being a member of both King Crimson and Foreigner
- Ian McEwan (born 1948), novelist
- Ian McKay, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), actor
- Ian McLagan, English musician, best known for being a member of both Small Faces and Faces
- Ian McMillan (footballer) (born 1931), Scottish footballer
- Ian McMillan (poet) (born 1956), poet
- Ian McShane (born 1942), actor
- Ian Messiter, creator of Just a Minute
- Ian Moran (cricketer) (born 1979), Australian cricketer
- Ian Moran (born 1972), American hockey player
- Ian Morris (footballer), Irish professional footballer
- Ian Morrison (disambiguation)
- Ian Morton (born 1970), English cricketer
- Ian Mosley, drummer for Marillion
- Ian Moss, Australian musician, Cold Chisel
- Ian Murdock, computer professional, creator of the Debian project
- Ian Nepomniachtchi (born 1990), Russian chess grandmaster
- Ian O'Brien (born 1947), swimmer
- Ian Oswald Liddell, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ian Paice, drummer of Deep Purple
- Ian Paisley (1926–2014), Protestant politician
- Ian Patterson (born 1973), English footballer
- Ian Peck (born 1957), English cricketer
- Ian Pooley (born 1973), German DJ
- Ian Poulter (born 1976), English professional golfer
- Ian Punnett (born 1960), American radio broadcaster and priest
- Ian Rankin (born 1960), Scottish novelist
- Ian Reed, Australian discus thrower
- Ian Reid (disambiguation)
- Ian Richards (disambiguation)
- Ian Richardson (1934–2007), Scottish actor
- Ian Robinson (disambiguation)
- Ian Ross (disambiguation)
- Ian Rush (born 1961), Welsh international footballer
- Ian Sanders (born 1961), cricketer for Edinburgh, Scotland
- Ian Sangalang (born 1991), Filipino professional basketball player
- Ian Scheckter, former South African F1 driver. Brother of Jody Scheckter and uncle of Tomas Scheckter.
- Ian Scott (disambiguation)
- Ian Smith (disambiguation)
- Ian Smith (1919–2007), former Rhodesian Prime Minister
- Ian Snell, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ian Somerhalder (born 1978), actor
- Ian Stanley (born 1957), British musician
- Ian Stannard (born 1987), English cyclist
- Ian Stevenson Webster (1925–2002), British judge
- Ian Stewart (disambiguation)
- Ian Stone, comedian
- Ian Stuart Donaldson, vocalist and frontman of controversial British band Skrewdriver
- Ian Svenonius, American musician
- Ian Thomas (American football) (born 1995), American football player
- Ian Thomson (disambiguation)
- Ian Thornley (born 1972), Canadian musician
- Ian Thorpe (born 1982), Australian swimmer
- Ian Van Dahl, Belgian artist
- Ian Walker (sailor) (born 1970), British sailor
- Ian Waltz (born 1977), American discus thrower
- Ian Watkins (Lostprophets singer) (born 1977), former lead singer of the alternative metal band Lostprophets, and convicted pedophile
- Ian H Watkins (born 1976), British pop singer and actor, former member of Steps
- Ian Weatherhead (born 1932), English watercolor artist
- Ian Webster (born 1986), English footballer
- Ian West (born 1951), politician
- Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ian Wilmut, English embryologist, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep
- Ian Wilson (disambiguation)
- Ian Wolfe, American actor
- Ian Wood (disambiguation)
- Ian Woosnam (born 1958), Welsh golfer
- Ian Wright (born 1963), footballer
- Ian Ziering (born 1964), actor
- Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bass player in Motörhead
- Ian McConville, webcomic artist of Mac Hall and Three Panel Soul
- Ian "Sam" Totman (born 1979), British guitarist
- Ian Krankie, entertainer
As a middle name
- Michael Ian Black (often credited by his full name, born 1971), American comedian
- Richard Ian Cox (born 1973), Welsh-Canadian actor, voice actor, and radio host
- Thomas Ian Nicholas (born 1980), Actor and singer
- Henry Ian Cusick (born 1967), Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director
Notable Iains
- Iain Anders (1933–1997), English actor
- Iain Andrews (born 1975), contemporary English painter
- Iain Archer, Northern Irish Singer-songwriter musician
- Iain Baird (born 1971), Canadian former soccer defender
- Iain Ballamy (born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player
- Iain Balshaw (born 1979), MBE, English rugby player
- Iain Bell (born 1980), English composer
- Iain Banks (1954–2013), Scottish writer
- Iain Benson (born 1955), legal philosopher, writer, professor and practising legal consultant
- Iain Black, British Columbia politician
- Iain Boal, Irish social historian of technics and the commons
- Iain Borden (born 1962), English architectural historian and urban commentator
- Iain Brambell (born 1973), Canadian rower
- Iain Brines (born 1967), former Scottish football referee in the Scottish Premier League
- Iain Brunnschweiler (born 1979), English former cricketer
- Iain Canning (born 1979), English film producer
- Iain Chambers, English composer, producer and performer
- Iain Cheeseman, Australian scientist
- Iain Chisholm (born 1985), Scottish footballer
- Iain Clough (born 1965), British slalom canoer
- Iain Collings, Australian scientist
- Iain Connell (born 1977), Scottish comedian and actor
- Iain Coucher (born 1961), British businessman and consultant in the railway industry
- Iain Couzin, British scientist
- Iain Davidson (born 1984), Scottish professional footballer
- Iain De Caestecker (born 1987), Scottish actor
- Iain Dilthey (born 1971), British film director
- Iain Donald Campbell (1941–2014), FRS (1941 – 2014) Scottish biophysicist and academic
- Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager
- Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian former ice hockey forward
- Iain Dunn (born 1970), English former professional footballer
- Iain Durrant, Scottish footballer
- Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill, Scottish poet and piper
- Iain Evans (field hockey) (born 1981), South African field hockey player
- Iain Fairley (born 1973), Scottish rugby union player
- Iain Fearn (born 1949), Scottish footballer
- Iain Finlay (born 1935)
- Iain Finlayson (alpine skier) (1951–1990), British alpine skier
- Iain Glen, Scottish actor, noted for his role in TV's Game of Thrones
- Iain Gray (born 1957), Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament
- Iain Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler
- Iain Kay (born 1949), Zimbabwean farmer and politician
- Iain Lee (born 1973), British comedian, TV presenter and radio presenter
- Iain Macleod (1913–1970), British politician
- Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road
- Iain Matthews (born 1946), formerly known as Ian Matthews, English musician, singer-songwriter, member of Fairport Convention
- Iain David McGeachy (1948–2009), birth name of John Martyn, British singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Iain McGilchrist (born 1953), psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar
- Iain McKenzie (born 1959), Scottish politician
- Iain O'Brien (born 1976), New Zealand cricketer
- Iain Paxton (born 1957), Scottish rugby player
- Iain Smith (Scottish politician) (born 1960), Scottish politician
- Iain Duncan Smith (born 1954), Leader of the Conservative Party, 2001–2003
- Iain Softley (born 1958), film director
- Iain Stirling (born 1988), Scottish TV presenter and comedian
- Iain Stewart (disambiguation)
- Iain Sutherland (1948–2019), Scottish musician, member of The Sutherland Brothers
- Iain Sydie (born 1969), Canadian badminton player
- Iain Torrance, President of Princeton Theological Seminary and former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Fictional Iains
- Iain Sterling, a fictional character in the Android: Netrunner universe
- Iain Dean, a fictional character in the Casualty Central universe
Fictional Ians
- Ian – from Shane Jiraiya Cummings' short story (born 1974), "Ian". Every male character who the protagonist meets is called Ian
- Ian – from Sarah Kane's play, Blasted
- Ian – from Leprechaun 2
- Ian – the protagonist in the manga Not Simple by Natsume Ono
- Ian Beale, from the TV soap opera EastEnders
- Ian Chesterton, from the TV series Doctor Who
- Ian Craig – from the radio soap opera The Archers
- Ian the Deer – Elliot's arch-rival in the Open Season movies
- Ian Doyle – an Irish terrorist featured on Criminal Minds
- Ian Edgerton, FBI agent and sniper from the show Numb3rs
- Ian Gallagher, one of the main characters in the television drama, Shameless
- Ian Hainsworth – Susan Delfino', s boyfriend in 3rd season of Desperate Housewives
- Ian Hawke, the main antagonist in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies
- Ian Howe – an antagonist in National Treasure
- Ian Kabra – antagonist of The 39 Clues, book series
- Ian Kelley – title character from the Canadian animated series Being Ian
- Ian Lewis and Ian Ketterman (together with dozens of other Ians) – characters created by Lee and Herring; the duo used 'Ian' as their de facto comedy name, in such sketches as the Ian News
- Ian Malcolm – from Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park
- Ian (MÄR), a recurring character in the manga and anime series MÄR
- Ian Maxtone-Graham – from the TV series Suddenly Susan
- Professor Ian McClaine – adoptive father of Joe 90
- Ian McKenzie – the liberal attorney from the novel and the film A Dry White Season
- Ian McKinley – from the movie Final Destination 3
- Ian Miller – from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- Ian Murray- The nephew of Jamie Fraser in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series
- Ian O'Shea – from Stephenie Meyer's novel, The Host
- Ian Papov – character and member of the Demolition Boys (also known as the Blitzkrieg Boys) from the anime series Beyblade (2000)
- Ian Randall – from the Smallville (TV series), episodes "Dichotic" and "Asylum", a character who had the ability to duplicate himself
- Ian Raymond – Laura's boyfriend in the novel and film, High Fidelity
- Ian Rider – From the Alex Rider, books
- Ian Schulenburg– Unseen husband of Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing
- Ian Scuffling – Tyrone Slothrup's adopted name after he goes into hiding in Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow
- Ian Slater, from the ABC soap opera All My Children
- Ian Thomas – Ryan Merriman's character in the TV series Pretty Little Liars
- Ian from Ocult Records
- Janis Ian from the film, Mean Girls
- Ian Lightfoot, Tom Holland’s character from the Pixar film, Onward
See also
- John (given name), a common masculine given name in the English language of originally Semitic origin
- Eoin
- Ioan (disambiguation)
- IANS (disambiguation)
References
- "Dictionary Detail – Iain". www.faclair.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- "Name: Ian". BabyNames.co.uk. Baby Names UK. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
- "Top 200 Most Popular Names in England and Wales in 1900". British Baby Names. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
- "Popular Baby Names". Social Security Administration.