Ian
The Scottish Gaelic form of John, written Iain in Gaelic. John goes back to the Hebrew Yochanan, understood as Yahweh is gracious.
Ian in 2025
Ian was given to 3,932 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 147th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 843 babies born.
The history of Ian
Ian reached its highest point in 2005, when 6,704 babies were given the name, ranking 103rd that year.
Across the 114 years of records since 1912, 258,479 babies have been named Ian. Half of them were born before 2001, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Ian by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ian | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 92 | 3,415 |
| 1920s | 225 | 2,194 |
| 1930s | 445 | 1,618 |
| 1940s | 784 | 1,436 |
| 1950s | 1,670 | 1,186 |
| 1960s | 4,996 | 562 |
| 1970s | 17,321 | 231 |
| 1980s | 38,032 | 137 |
| 1990s | 54,153 | 125 |
| 2000s | 62,046 | 103 |
| 2010s | 52,549 | 114 |
| 2020s | 26,166 | 117 |
Where Ian is heading
Ian has fallen 26% over the past decade, from 5,345 babies in 2015 to 3,932 in 2025.
Names like Ian
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ian.