Ian

Ian

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Introduction

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 very popular name in much of the English-speaking world and especially in Scotland, where it originated.

The name has now 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, while remaining roughly constant in popularity in the United States. Back in 1900, Ian was the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales.

Popularity of the name 'Ian' in the US
Year Rank
2015 76
2014 77
2013 80
2012 78
2011 72
2010 72
2009 72
2008 80
2007 74
2006 80
2005 67
2004 69
2003 65
2002 67
2001 70
2000 73

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 and Breton equivalent is Yann.

Notable Ians

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

As a middle name

As a surname

  • Janis Ian (born 1951), singer and songwriter
  • Scott Ian, stage name of Scott Ian Rosenfeld, guitarist with the metal band Anthrax

Notable Iains

  • Iain Archer, Northern Irish Singer-songwriter musician
  • Iain Balshaw (born 1979), MBE, English rugby player
  • Iain Banks (1954–2013), Scottish writer
  • Iain Black, British Columbia politician
  • Iain Cameron, Scottish climber and environmental expert
  • Iain Connell (born 1976), Scottish comedian and actor
  • Iain De Caestecker (born 1987), Scottish actor
  • Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager
  • Iain Durrant, Scottish footballer
  • Iain Evans (field hockey) (born 1981), South African field hockey player
  • Iain Glen, Scottish actor, noted for his role in TV's Game of Thrones
  • Iain Gray (born 1957), Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament
  • Iain Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler
  • Iain Kay (born 1949), Zimbabwean farmer and politician
  • Iain Lee (born 1973), British comedian, TV presenter and radio presenter
  • Iain Macleod (1913–1970), British politician
  • Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road
  • Iain David McGeachy – birth name of John Martyn (1948–2009), British singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • Iain McGilchrist (born 1953), psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar
  • Iain McKenzie (born 1959), Scottish politician
  • Iain O'Brien (born 1976), New Zealand cricketer
  • Iain Paxton (born 1957), Scottish rugby player
  • Iain Smith (Scottish politician) (born 1960), Scottish politician
  • Iain Duncan Smith (born 1954), Leader of the Conservative Party, 2001–2003
  • Iain Softley (born 1958), film director
  • Iain Stirling (born 1988), Scottish TV presenter and comedian
  • Iain Stewart (disambiguation)
  • Iain Sydie (born 1969), Canadian badminton player
  • Iain Torrance, President of Princeton Theological Seminary and former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Fictional Iains

  • Iain Sterling, a fictional character in the Android: Netrunner universe
  • Iain Dean, a fictional character in the Casualty Central universe

Fictional Ians

  • Ian – from Shane Jiraiya Cummings' short story (born 1974), "Ian". Every male character who the protagonist meets is called Ian
  • Ian – from Sarah Kane's play, Blasted
  • Ian – from Leprechaun 2
  • Ian – the protagonist in the manga Not Simple by Natsume Ono
  • Ian Beale, from the TV soap opera EastEnders
  • Ian Chesterton, from the TV series Doctor Who
  • Ian Craig – from the radio soap opera The Archers
  • Ian the Deer – Elliot's arch-rival in the Open Season movies
  • Ian Doyle – an Irish terrorist featured on Criminal Minds
  • Ian Edgerton, FBI agent and sniper from the show Numb3rs
  • Ian Gallagher, one of the main characters in the television drama, Shameless
  • Ian Hainsworth – Susan Delfino', s boyfriend in 3rd season of Desperate Housewives
  • Ian Hawke, the main antagonist in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies
  • Ian Howe – an antagonist in National Treasure
  • Ian Kabra – antagonist of The 39 Clues, book series
  • Ian Kelley – title character from the Canadian animated series Being Ian
  • Ian Lewis and Ian Ketterman (together with dozens of other Ians) – characters created by Lee and Herring; the duo used 'Ian' as their de facto comedy name, in such sketches as the Ian News
  • Ian Malcolm – from Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park
  • Ian (MÄR), a recurring character in the manga and anime series MÄR
  • Ian Maxtone-Graham – from the TV series Suddenly Susan
  • Professor Ian McClaine – adoptive father of Joe 90
  • Ian McKenzie – the liberal attorney from the novel and the film A Dry White Season
  • Ian McKinley – from the movie Final Destination 3
  • Ian Miller – from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding
  • Ian Murray- The nephew of Jamie Fraser in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series
  • Ian O'Shea – from Stephenie Meyer's novel, The Host
  • Ian Papov – character and member of the Demolition Boys (also known as the Blitzkrieg Boys) from the anime series Beyblade (2000)
  • Ian Randall – from the Smallville (TV series), episodes "Dichotic" and "Asylum", a character who had the ability to duplicate himself
  • Ian Raymond – Laura's boyfriend in the novel and film, High Fidelity
  • Ian Rider – From the Alex Rider, books
  • Ian Schulenburg– Unseen husband of Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing
  • Ian Scuffling – Tyrone Slothrup's adopted name after he goes into hiding in Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow
  • Ian Slater, from the ABC soap opera All My Children
  • Ian Thomas – Ryan Merriman's character in the TV series Pretty Little Liars