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 Scotland, where it originated, as well as 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 was 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 "John" include "Seonaidh" ("Johnny" from Lowland Scots), "Seon" (from English), "Seathan", and "Seán" and "Eoin" (from Irish). Its Welsh counterpart is Ioan, its Cornish equivalent is Yowan and Breton equivalent is Yann.