Ian

What does the name Ian mean?

Ian is the Scottish Gaelic form of John and means "God is gracious" or "Yahweh is gracious". Author Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, and actor Ian McKellen carried it into the English-speaking world beyond Scotland. Ian has been a top 100 name in the United States every year since 2000, peaked at number 65 in 2003 and ranks number 83 in 2025.

At a glance

Gender

Boy's name

Origin

Scottish / Hebrew

Popularity

Popular – #83 of the boy names in the United States

International

Ian (Scottish / English), Iain (Scottish Gaelic), John (English), Sean (Irish), Juan (Spanish), Jean (French), Johann (German), Giovanni (Italian).

Similar names

• Iain
• Ean
• Eoin
• Ewan
• John

Parents who love Ian also like

• Evan
• Owen
• Liam
• Ethan
• Nathan
• Ryan