Ian

Ian or Iain is a male name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן‎ (Yohanan, Yôḥānān) and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain. This name is a popular name in Scotland, where it originated, as well as in other English-speaking countries.

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 ranked as the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales.^[3] As of 2019^[update], the name has been in the top 100 in the United States every year since 1982, peaking at 65 in 2003.^[4]

Other Gaelic forms of the name "John" include "Seonaidh" ("Johnny" from Lowland Scots), "Seon" (from English), "Seathan", and "Seán" and "Eoin" (from Irish). The Welsh equivalent is Ioan, the Cornish counterpart is Yowan and the Breton equivalent is Yann.

In Korea, Ian is pronounced as 이안(I-an), and in Japan, Ian is pronounced as 偉杏, 伊庵, 一晏, etc.