Baby name meaning

Ian

God is gracious · Scottish origin

What does Ian mean?

Ian is a male name of Scottish origin, meaning “God is gracious”.

How popular is Ian?

In England & Wales, Ian ranked #536 among boys' names in 2024, with 72 babies given the name, close to its #490 of 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 1996, when it reached #139.

In the United States, Ian was the #83 boys' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #70 in 1990.

The two territories disagree about Ian: #83 in the US against #536 in England & Wales — a markedly more American choice.

Ian — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Ian over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #622US 1960: #511US 1970: #222US 1980: #104US 1990: #70US 2000: #73US 2010: #72US 2020: #83England & Wales 2024: #536United StatesEngland & Wales
Ian’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Ian in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#139253
2000#247117
2005#38978
2010#44785
2015#49379
2020#59860
2024#53672

Who are famous people named Ian?

What names go well with Ian?

Owen Liam

More on Ian

A Scottish name that means God is gracious, refuses to be shortened, and is somehow a hit in the Spanish-speaking world.

Ian: three letters, one big heart, huge in Mexico City — Ian as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Ian in Settle