title: Ian
text: Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name  (Yohanan, ) and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian 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. , 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.
  
  Notable people named Ian
  
  As a first name (alphabetical by family name)
  Ian Agol (born 1970), American mathematician
  Ian Anderson (musician) (born 1947), lead of rock band Jethro Tull
  Ian Astbury (born 1962), singer of rock band The Cult
  Ian Bairnson (1953–2023), Scottish guitarist of The Alan Parsons Project and Pilot
  Ian Baker-Finch (born 1960), Australian golfer and 1991 British Open winner
  Ian Bannen (1928–1999), British actor
  Ian Bazalgette (1918–1944), Canadian-British recipient of the Victoria Cross
  Ian Bell (born 1982), English cricketer
  Ian Berry (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Black (disambiguation), multiple people
  Sir Ian Blair (born 1953), British former Head of the Metropolitan Police Service
  Ian Bohen (born 1976), American actor
  Ian Bolton (born 1953), English footballer
  Ian Book (born 1998), American football player
  Sir Ian Botham (born 1955), English cricketer
   Ian Brady (Ian Duncan Stewart, 1938–2017), convicted for the Moors murders in England in the 1960s
  Ian Bremmer (born 1969), political scientist, author, entrepreneur
  Ian Broudie (born 1958), English singer in The Lightning Seeds, and music producer
  Ian Brown (born 1963), singer and lyricist in The Stone Roses
  Ian Bunting (born 1996), American football player
  Ian Callaghan (born 1942), Liverpool footballer with the most appearances
  Ian Callum (born 1954), British design director for Jaguar
  Ian Cameron (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Carmichael (1920–2010), OBE, English actor
  Ian "iDubbbz" Carter (born 1990), American YouTube personality
  Ian Chan (born 1993), Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor
  Ian Chappell (born 1943), former Australian cricketer
  Ian Charleson (1949–1990), Scottish/British actor
  Ian Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Clyde (born 1956), Canadian boxer
  Ian Cole (born 1989), American hockey player
  Ian Collier (1943–2008), singer and actor
  Ian Cooper (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian James Corlett (born 1962), cartoon writer and voice actor, creator of Being Ian
  Ian Crocker (born 1982), swimmer
  Ian Curtis (1956–1980), singer and lyricist in Joy Division
  Ian Davidson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Davis (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Desmond (born 1985), American Major League Baseball shortstop
  Ian Stuart Donaldson (1957–1993), English vocalist and frontman of British neo-Nazi band Skrewdriver
  Ian Dunn (activist) (1943-1998), Scottish gay and paedophile rights activist
  Ian Dunn (rugby union) (born 1960), New Zealand rugby union player
  Ian Dury (1942–2000), British singer and songwriter
  Ian Eagle (born 1969), American sports announcer
  Ian Edmond (born 1978), British swimmer
  Ian Falconer (1959–2023), American author and illustrator
  Ian Ferguson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Flanagan (born 1982), Welsh tennis player
  Ian Fleming (1908–1964), British novelist, creator of James Bond
  Ian Flynn (born 1982), American comic book writer
  Ian Frazier (born 1951), American writer and humorist
  Ian Froman (born 1937), South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron
  Ian Gibbons (musician) (1952–2019), English keyboardist, member of The Kinks
  Ian Gibson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Gillan (born 1945), English lead singer of hard rock band Deep Purple
  Ian Gleed DSO DFC (1916–1943), English Royal Air Force flying ace and one of the Few
  Ian Gold (born 1978), former American football player
  Ian Gomm (born 1947), British guitarist and singer
  Ian Goodfellow (born 1985), Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group at Apple computer
  Ian Gow, British Member of Parliament assassinated by IRA terrorists in 1990
  Ian Greig (born 1955), former English cricketer and brother of Tony Greig
  Ian Grist (1938–2002), British politician
  Ian Gunther (born 1999), American gymnastics creator
  Ian Hall (musician) (1940–2022), Guyanese-born British musician and composer
  Ian Hallard (born 1974), British actor
  Ian Hamilton (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Hanlin, Canadian voice actor
  Ian Hanomansing, Canadian journalist and news anchor
  Ian Harding (born 1986), American actor
  Ian Hart (born 1964), English actor
  Ian Haugland (born 1964 as Jan-Håkan Haugland), Norwegian-born Swedish drummer for the band Europe
  Ian Healy (born 1964), former Australian Wicket-Keeper
  Ian Hecox, comedian with Smosh
  Ian Henderson (footballer) (born 1985), current Norwich City F.C. player in the FA Premier League
  Ian Henderson (news presenter) (born 1953), Australian news presenter
  Ian Henderson (police officer), former head of secret police in Bahrain, accused of torture
  Ian Henderson (rugby league), Scottish rugby hooker who plays in Australia
  Ian Hennessy (born 1967), Irish soccer player
  Ian Hicks (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Hill, bassist for metal band Judas Priest
  Ian Hislop (born 1960), British satirist and editor of Private Eye
  Ian Holm (1931–2020), British actor
  Ian Ho (swimmer) (born 1997), Hong Kong freestyle swimmer
  Ian Hornak (1944–2002), painter
  Ian Hunter (actor) (1900–1975), English actor
  Ian Hunter (singer) (born 1939), English singer of Mott the Hoople
  Ian McLellan Hunter (1915–1991), English screenwriter best known as the front for the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo and who later found himself blacklisted
  Ian Huntley, double murderer
  Ian Jacobs (academic) (born 1957), English academic, gynaecological oncologist, gynaecologist/obstetrician
  Ian Jacobs, Australian kickboxer and 3-time World Kickboxing Champion
  Ian James (athlete) (born 1963), Olympic athlete
  Ian Jones-Quartey (born 1984), animator
  Ian Joyce (born 1985), American soccer player
  Ian Kahn (born 1972), American actor
  Ian Karmel (born 1984), American stand-up comedian and writer
  Ian Kennedy (born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher
  Ian Kershaw (born 1943), English historian
  Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bass player in Motörhead
  Ian Kinsler (born 1982), Israeli-American Major League Baseball All Star second baseman
  Ian "Vaush" Kochinski (born 1994), American YouTuber and livestreamer
  Ian Koziara, American operatic tenor
  Ian Krankie (born 1947), Scottish entertainer
  Ian Laperrière (born 1974), Canadian-American hockey player
  Ian Lavender (born 1946), English actor
  Ian Law (born 1938), Australian footballer
  Ian Levy, British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019
  Ian Hideo Levy (born 1950), American author
  Ian Livingstone (born 1949), author
  Ian Lorimer, television director
  Ian Lucas (born 1960), politician
  Ian MacArthur (1925–2007), politician
  Ian MacDonald (1948–2003), author
  Ian Macdonald (barrister) (1939–2019)
  Ian MacKaye (born 1962), musician
  Ian Mahinmi (born 1986), basketball player
  Ian Malcolm (politician) (1868–1944), Member of Parliament (1910-1919)
  Ian Martin (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Matos (1989–2021), Brazilian diver
  Ian Matthews (drummer) (born 1971), drummer for Kasabian
  Ian Maxtone-Graham (born 1959), television writer and producer
  Ian McAteer (born 1961), former gangster from Glasgow
  Ian McCaskill (1938–2016), weather forecaster
  Ian McCulloch (actor) (born 1939), actor
  Ian McCulloch (singer), singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen
  Ian McCulloch (snooker player) (born 1971), snooker player
  Ian McDiarmid (born 1944), actor
  Ian McDonald (musician), British musician, best known for being a member of both King Crimson and Foreigner
  Ian McEwan (born 1948), English novelist and screenwriter
  Ian McKay, recipient of the Victoria Cross
  Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), actor
  Ian McLagan, English musician, best known for being a member of both Small Faces and Faces
  Ian McMillan (footballer) (born 1931), Scottish footballer
  Ian McMillan (poet) (born 1956), poet
  Ian McShane (born 1942), actor
  Ian Messiter (1920–1999), Engglish creator of Just a Minute
  Ian Moran (cricketer) (born 1979), Australian cricketer
  Ian Moran (born 1972), American hockey player
  Ian Morris (footballer), Irish professional footballer
  Ian Morrison (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Morton (born 1970), English cricketer
  Ian Mosley, drummer for Marillion
  Ian Moss, Australian musician, Cold Chisel
  Ian Murdock, computer professional, creator of the Debian project
  Ian Nepomniachtchi (born 1990), Russian chess grandmaster
  Ian O'Brien (born 1947), swimmer
  Ian Oswald Liddell, recipient of the Victoria Cross
  Ian Paice, drummer of Deep Purple
  Ian Paisley (1926–2014), Protestant politician
  Ian Patterson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Pearson (badminton) (born 1974), English badminton player
  Ian Peck (born 1957), English cricketer
  Ian Pooley (born 1973), German DJ
  Ian Poulter (born 1976), English professional golfer
  Ian Punnett (born 1960), American radio broadcaster and priest
  Ian Rankin (born 1960), Scottish novelist
  Ian Reed, Australian discus thrower
  Ian Reid (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Richards (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Richardson (1934–2007), Scottish actor
  Ian Robinson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Ross (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Rush (born 1961), Welsh international footballer
  Ian Sanders (born 1961), cricketer for Edinburgh, Scotland
  Ian Sangalang (born 1991), Filipino professional basketball player
  Ian Scheckter (born 1947), former South African F1 driver. Brother of Jody Scheckter and uncle of Tomas Scheckter.
  Ian Scott (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Smith (1919–2007), former Rhodesian Prime Minister
  Ian Snell (born 1981), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  Ian Somerhalder (born 1978), actor
  Ian Stanley (born 1957), British musician
  Ian Stannard (born 1987), English cyclist
  Ian Stevenson Webster (1925–2002), British judge
  Ian Stewart (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Stone, comedian
  Ian Svenonius, American musician
  Ian Thomas (American football) (born 1995), American football player
  Ian Thomson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Thornley (born 1972), Canadian musician
  Ian Thorpe (born 1982), Australian swimmer
  Ian "Sam" Totman (born 1979), British guitarist
  Ian Tyson (1933–2022), Canadian singer-songwriter
  Ian Van Dahl, Belgian artist
  Ian Veneracion (born 1975), Filipino actor, athlete, pilot, and singer
  Ian Walker (sailor) (born 1970), British sailor
  Ian Waltz (born 1977), American discus thrower
  Ian Watkins (Lostprophets singer) (born 1977), former lead singer of the alternative metal band Lostprophets, and convicted pedophile
  Ian "H" Watkins (born 1976), British pop singer and actor, former member of Steps
  Ian Weatherhead (born 1932), English watercolor artist
  Ian Webster (born 1986), English footballer
  Ian West (born 1951), Australian politician
  Ian Wilmut (1944–2023), English embryologist, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep
  Ian Wilson (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Wolfe (1896–1992), American actor
  Ian Wood (disambiguation), multiple people
  Ian Woosnam (born 1958), Welsh golfer
  Ian Wright (born 1963), English footballer
  Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa (born 1969), birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa
  Ian Ziering (born 1964), American actor
  
  As a middle name
  Michael Ian Black (often credited by his full name, born 1971), American comedian
  Richard Ian Cox (born 1973), Welsh-Canadian actor, voice actor (including as Ian Kelley on Being Ian), and radio host
  Thomas Ian Nicholas (born 1980), American actor and singer
  Henry Ian Cusick (born 1967), Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director
  
  As a surname
  Janis Ian (born 1951), singer and songwriter
  Scott Ian, stage name of Scott Ian Rosenfeld (born 1963), guitarist with the metal band Anthrax
  
  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 former soccer defender 
  Iain Ballamy (born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player
  Iain Balshaw (born 1979), MBE, 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 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 former cricketer
  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 Collings, Australian scientist
  Iain Connell (born 1977), Scottish comedian and actor
  Iain Coucher (born 1961), British businessman and consultant in the railway industry
  Iain Couzin, British scientist
  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 Donald Campbell (1941–2014), FRS (1941 – 2014) Scottish biophysicist and academic
  Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager
  Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian former ice hockey forward
  Iain Dunn (born 1970), English former professional footballer
  Iain Durrant (born 1966), Scottish footballer
  Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill (1898—1934), Scottish poet and piper
  Iain Evans (field hockey) (born 1981), South African field hockey 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 Glen (born 1961), 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 Lindsay (born 1959), British diplomat
  Iain Macleod (1913–1970), British politician
  Iain Macmillan (1938–2006), Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road
  Iain Matthews (born 1946), formerly known as Ian Matthews, English musician, singer-songwriter, member of Fairport Convention
   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 O'Brien (born 1976), New Zealand cricketer
  Iain Paxton (born 1957), Scottish rugby player
  Iain Robertson (born 1981), Scottish actor
  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), multiple people
   Iain Sutherland (1948–2019), Scottish musician, member of The Sutherland Brothers
  Iain Sydie (born 1969), Canadian badminton player
  Iain Torrance (born 1949), President of Princeton Theological Seminary and former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
  
  Fictional people named Ian
  
   Ian – the supporting character from Shinbi's Haunted House anime
   Ian – from Shane Jiraiya Cummings' short story "Ian"; every male character 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 Foot – from the British TV series Come Fly with Me
  Ian Gallagher – one of the main characters in the television drama Shameless and its American remake
   Ian Grimm - creative director of fictional video game in the television series Mythic Quest
   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 book series The 39 Clues
   Ian Kelley – title character from the Canadian animated series Being Ian, created by Ian James Corlett, voiced by Richard Ian Cox
   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 Lightfoot – Tom Holland’s character from the film Onward
  Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park) – 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 Nottingham – a character from Witchblade comic and TV 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
  Janis Ian – from the film Mean Girls
  
  Fictional people named Iain
   Iain Sterling, a fictional character in the Android: Netrunner universe
  Iain Dean, a fictional character in the Casualty Central universe
  
  See also
  John (given name), a common masculine given name in the English language of originally Semitic origin
  Eoin
  Ioan
  Ian (disambiguation)
  IANS (disambiguation)
  
  References
  
  English-language masculine given names
  Scottish masculine given names
  English masculine given names
  Masculine given names
  Irish masculine given names
  Welsh masculine given names
  Welsh given names