Ian

Look up Ian or Iain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ian

Ian Fleming in 1958
Pronunciation	/ˈiː.ən/ ⓘ EE-ən Scottish Gaelic: [ˈiaɲ]
Gender	Male
Origin
Origin	English, Scottish Gaelic, from Hebrew Yohanan
Other names
Related names	John, Evan, Eoin, Gianni, Giovanni, Hans, Juan, Hovhannes, Ioan, Ioane, Ivan, Iven, Ifan, Jack, Jackson, Jan, Jane, Janez, Jean, Jeanne, Jhon, Joan, João, Johan/Johann, Johanan, Johannes, Jonne, Jovan, Juhani, Sean, Shane, Siôn, Yann, Yahya, Yohannes

Ian is a male name of English, Scottish Gaelic and Hebrew origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן (Yohanan, Yôḥānān) and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling 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. In 1900, Ian ranked as the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales. 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.

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.

Notable people named Ian

Notable people named Iain

• Iain Anders (1933–1997), English actor
• Iain Andrews (born 1975), contemporary English painter
• Iain Archer, Northern Irish Singer-songwriter musician
• Iain Armitage (born 2008), American child actor
• Iain Baird (born 1971), Canadian soccer defender
• Iain Ballamy (born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player
• Iain Balshaw (born 1979), 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 (born 1967), British Columbia politician
• Iain Blair (1942–2011), Scottish actor and author
• 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 cricketer
• Iain Burgess (1953–2010), British record producer
• Iain Butchart (born 1960), Zimbabwean cricketer
• Iain Donald Campbell (1941–2014), Scottish biophysicist and academic
• Iain Canning (born 1979), English film producer
• Iain Chambers, English composer, producer and performer
• Iain Michael Chambers, British scholar
• Iain Cheeseman, Australian scientist
• Iain Chisholm (born 1985), Scottish footballer
• Iain Clough (born 1965), British slalom canoer
• Iain Cochrane, 15th Earl of Dundonald (born 1961), British politician and peer
• Iain Coleman (1958–2025), British politician
• Iain Collings, Australian scientist
• Iain Conn (born 1962), British businessman
• Iain Connell (born 1977), Scottish comedian and actor
• Iain Cook (born 1974), Scottish musician
• Iain Coucher (born 1961), British businessman and consultant in the railway industry
• Iain Couzin, British scientist
• Iain Cuthbertson (1930–2009), Scottish actor
• Iain Dale (born 1962), British broadcaster, author and political commentator
• Iain Davidson (born 1984), Scottish professional footballer
• Iain De Caestecker (born 1987), Scottish actor
• Iain Dilthey (born 1971), British film director
• Iain Douglas-Hamilton (1942–2025), British zoologist
• Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager
• Iain R. Edgar (1948–2021), British social anthropologist
• Iain M. Duguid (born 1960), British theologian and scholar
• Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian ice hockey forward
• Iain Duncan Smith (born 1954), Leader of the Conservative Party, 2001–2003
• Iain Dunn (born 1970), English professional footballer
• Iain Durrant (born 1966), Scottish footballer
• Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill (1898–1934), Scottish poet and piper
• Iain Evans (born 1959), Australian politician
• Iain Evans (field hockey) (born 1981), South African field hockey player
• Iain Exner (born 1979), Canada international rugby union player
• Iain Fairley (born 1973), Scottish rugby union player
• Iain Fearn (born 1949), Scottish footballer
• Iain Finlay (born 1935), Australian author
• Iain Finlayson (alpine skier) (1951–1990), British alpine skier
• Iain Flannigan (born 1988), Scottish footballer
• Iain Fyfe (born 1982), Australian soccer player
• Iain Gallaway (1922–2021), New Zealand cricketer and broadcaster
• Iain Gardner (born 1970), Scottish film director
• Iain Gillies (1935–2025), New Zealand footballer
• Iain Glen (born 1961), Scottish actor, noted for his role in TV's Game of Thrones
• Iain Gobha na Hearadh (1796–1852), Scottish Gaelic poet
• Iain Gray (born 1957), Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament
• Iain Hamilton (disambiguation), multiple people
• Iain Hamilton Grant (born 1963), British philosopher
• Iain Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler
• Iain Henderson (born 1992), professional rugby player for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions
• Iain Hewitson (born 1948), Australian television chefs
• Iain Higgins (born 1976), Scotland international rugby league player
• Iain Hook, British aid worker killed by Israeli sniper
• Iain Hughes (born 1950), British Circuit judge
• Iain Jenkins (born 1972), Footballer
• Iain D. Johnston (born 1965), American judge
• Iain Johnstone (1943–2023), English author, broadcaster and television producer
• Iain M. Johnstone (born 1956), Australian born statistician
• Iain Kay (born 1949), Zimbabwean farmer and politician
• Iain Laughland (1935–2020), Scotland international rugby union player
• Iain Lee (born 1973), British comedian, TV presenter and radio presenter
• Iain Lindsay (born 1959), British diplomat
• Iain Livingstone (born 1966), Scottish solicitor and former police officer
• Iain Luke (born 1951), British politician
• Iain Macleod (1913–1970), British politician
• Iain Macmillan (1938–2006), Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road
• Iain Macwhirter (born 1952), Scottish political journalist
• Iain McCaig (born 1957), American artist, writer, and filmmaker
• Iain McChesney (1944–2024), Scottish footballer
• Iain McColl (1954–2013), British actor
• Iain McInnes (born 1964), British rheumatologist
• 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 McNicol (born 1969), British politician and trade unionist
• Iain McPeake (born 1991), New Zealand cricketer
• Iain Matthews (born 1946), formerly known as Ian Matthews, English musician, singer-songwriter, member of Fairport Convention
• Iain Morland (born 1978), British music technologist and author
• Iain Morrison (rugby union) (born 1962), Scottish rugby union player
• Iain Morrison (rugby league) (born 1983), English rugby league player
• Iain Morrison (musician), Scottish musician
• Iain Nicolson (born 1976), Scottish footballer
• Iain Noble (1935–2010), British businessman, Scottish Gaelic language activist
• Iain O'Brien (born 1976), New Zealand cricketer
• Iain Pattinson (1953–2021), British scriptwriter
• Iain Paxton (born 1957), Scottish rugby player
• Iain Priestley (born 1967), English cricketer
• Iain Quarrier (1941–2016), Canadian actor
• Iain Ramsay (born 1988), Filipino professional footballer
• Iain Rice (1947–2022), Model railway enthusiast
• Iain Robertson (born 1981), Scottish actor
• Iain Russell (born 1982), Scottish footballer
• Iain Sharp (1953–2026), New Zealand poet
• Iain Smith (Scottish politician) (born 1960), Scottish politician
• Iain R. Smith (1939–2021), British historian
• Iain Smythe (born in 1985), Canadian male field hockey player
• Iain Softley (born 1958), film director
• Iain Sproat (1938–2011), British politician
• Iain Steel (born 1971), Malaysian professional golfer
• Iain Stewart (disambiguation), multiple people
• Iain Maxwell Stewart (1916–1985), Scottish industrialist
• Iain Stirling (born 1988), Scottish TV presenter and comedian
• Iain Sutcliffe (born 1974), English cricketer
• Iain Sutherland (conductor) (born 1936), British conductor
• Iain Sutherland (diplomat) (1925–1986), British diplomat
• Iain Sydie (born 1969), Canadian badminton player
• Iain Tennant (1919–2006), British businessman
• Iain Torrance (born 1949), President of Princeton Theological Seminary
• Iain Turner (born 1984), Scottish footballer and coach
• Iain Vigurs (born 1988), Scottish footballer
• Iain Wainwright (born 1949), South African cricketer
• Iain Weaver (born 1990), English boxer
• Iain Wright (born 1972), British politician

Fictional characters

• Iain Dean, a fictional character in the Casualty Central universe
• Ian Beale, from the TV soap opera EastEnders
• Ian Chesterton, from the TV series Doctor Who
• Ian Edgerton, FBI agent and sniper from the show Numb3rs
• Ian Gallagher, from the television drama Shameless
• Ian Hawke, from Alvin and the Chipmunks live-action/CGI film series
• Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park), from Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park
• Janis Ian (Mean Girls), from the film Mean Girls

See also

Search for "Ian"  or "Iain" on Wikipedia.

• All pages with titles beginning with Ian
• All pages with titles containing Ian
• All pages with titles beginning with Iain
• All pages with titles containing Iain
• Ian (disambiguation)
• IANS (disambiguation)
• Eoin
• Ioan
• John (given name), a common masculine given name in the English language of originally Semitic origin
• List of storms named Ian

References

Name list

This page lists people that share the same given name.
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