Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name 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 the English-speaking world and in Scotland, where it originated.
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 was the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales. In the United States, the name first appeared in the top 100 in 1982 and has been in the top 100 every year since then, peaking at 65 in 2003.
Other Gaelic forms of "John" include "Seonaidh", "Seon", "Seathan", and "Seán" and "Eoin". Its Welsh counterpart is Ioan and Breton equivalent is Yann.
Notable Ians
As a first name (alphabetical by family name)
- Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa, birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa
- Ian Agol, American mathematician
- Ian Anderson, lead of rock band Jethro Tull
- Ian Astbury, singer of rock band The Cult
- Ian Bairnson, guitarist of The Alan Parsons Project and Pilot
- Ian Baker-Finch, golfer and 1991 British Open winner
- Ian Bannen, British actor
- Ian Bell, English cricketer
- Ian Berry
- Ian Black
- Sir Ian Blair, former Head of the Metropolitan Police Service
- Ian Bohen, American actor
- Ian Bolton, English footballer
- Sir Ian Botham, cricketer
- Ian Brady, Moors murderer
- Ian Bremmer, political scientist, author, entrepreneur
- Ian Broudie, singer in The Lightning Seeds, and music producer
- Ian Brown, singer and lyricist in The Stone Roses
- Ian Callaghan, Liverpool footballer with the most appearances
- Ian Callum, design director for Jaguar
- Ian Cameron
- Ian Carmichael, OBE, actor
- Ian Carter / iDubbbzTV, YouTube personality
- Ian Cashmore, broadcaster/presenter and paranormal investigator
- Ian Chappell, former Australian cricketer
- Ian Charleson, Scottish/British actor
- Ian Clark
- Ian Clyde, boxer
- Ian Cole, hockey player
- Ian Collier, singer and actor
- Ian Cooper
- Ian Crocker, swimmer
- Ian Curtis, singer and lyricist in Joy Division
- Ian Davidson
- Ian Davis
- Ian Desmond, Major League Baseball shortstop
- Ian Dury, singer and songwriter
- Ian Eagle, American sports announcer
- Ian Edmond, swimmer
- Ian Falconer, American author and illustrator
- Ian Ferguson
- Ian Flanagan, tennis player
- Ian Fleming, novelist, creator of James Bond
- Ian Flynn, American comic book writer
- Ian Frazier, writer and humorist
- Ian Froman, South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron
- Ian Gibbons , English keyboardist, member of The Kinks
- Ian Gibson
- Ian Gillan, lead singer of hard rock band Deep Purple
- Ian Gleed DSO DFC, English Royal Air Force flying ace and one of the Few
- Ian Gold, former American football player
- Ian Gomm, British guitarist and singer
- Ian Goodfellow, 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, former English cricketer and brother of Tony Greig
- Ian Grist, British politician
- Ian Hallard, actor
- Ian Hamilton
- Ian Harding, actor
- Ian Hart, actor
- Ian Haugland, drummer for the band Europe
- Ian Healy, former Australian Wicket-Keeper
- Ian Hecox, comedian with Smosh
- Ian Henderson, current Norwich City F.C. player in the FA Premier League
- Ian Henderson , Australian news presenter
- Ian Henderson, former head of secret police in Bahrain, accused of torture
- Ian Henderson, Scottish rugby hooker who plays in Australia
- Ian Hennessy, Irish soccer player
- Ian Hicks
- Ian Hill, bassist for metal band Judas Priest
- Ian Hislop, satirist and editor of Private Eye
- Ian Holm, British actor
- Ian Hornak, painter
- Ian Hunter , English actor
- Ian Hunter, singer of Mott the Hoople
- Ian Huntley, double murderer
- Ian Jacobs , English academic, gynaecological oncologist, gynaecologist/obstetrician
- Ian Jacobs, Australian kickboxer and former 3 time World Kickboxing Champion
- Ian James , Olympic athlete
- Ian James Corlett, cartoon writer and voice actor
- Ian Jones-Quartey, animator
- Ian Joyce, American soccer player
- Ian Kahn, American actor
- Ian Karmel, American stand-up comedian and writer
- Ian Kennedy, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ian Kershaw, historian
- Ian Kinsler, Israeli-American Major League Baseball All Star second baseman
- Ian Laperrière, hockey player
- Ian Lavender, actor
- Ian Law, Australian footballer
- Ian Levy :
- * Ian Levy, British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019
- * Ian Hideo Levy, American author
- Ian Livingstone, author
- Ian Lorimer, television director
- Ian Lucas, politician
- Ian MacArthur, politician
- Ian MacDonald, author
- Ian MacKaye, musician
- Ian Mahinmi, basketball player
- Ian Martin
- Ian Matthews , drummer for Kasabian
- Ian Maxtone-Graham, television writer and producer
- Ian McAteer, former gangster from Glasgow
- Ian McCaskill, weather forecaster
- Ian McCulloch , actor
- Ian McCulloch, singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen
- Ian McCulloch , snooker player
- Ian McDiarmid, actor
- Ian McDonald, British musician, best known for being a member of both King Crimson and Foreigner
- Ian McEwan, novelist
- Ian McKay, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Sir Ian McKellen, actor
- Ian McLagan, English musician, best known for being a member of both Small Faces and Faces
- Ian McMillan , Scottish footballer
- Ian McMillan , poet
- Ian McShane, actor
- Ian Messiter, creator of Just a Minute
- Ian Moran , Australian cricketer
- Ian Moran, American hockey player
- Ian Morris, Irish professional footballer
- Ian Morrison
- Ian Morton, English cricketer
- Ian Mosley, drummer for Marillion
- Ian Moss, Australian musician, Cold Chisel
- Ian Murdock, computer professional, creator of the Debian project
- Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russian chess grandmaster
- Ian O'Brien, swimmer
- Ian Oswald Liddell, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ian Paice, drummer of Deep Purple
- Ian Paisley, Protestant politician
- Ian Patterson, English footballer
- Ian Peck, English cricketer
- Ian Pooley, German DJ
- Ian Poulter, English professional golfer
- Ian Punnett, American radio broadcaster and priest
- Ian Rankin, Scottish novelist
- Ian Reed, Australian discus thrower
- Ian Reid
- Ian Richards
- Ian Richardson, Scottish actor
- Ian Robinson
- Ian Ross
- Ian Rush, Welsh international footballer
- Ian Sanders, cricketer for Edinburgh, Scotland
- Ian Sangalang, Filipino professional basketball player
- Ian Scheckter, former South African F1 driver. Brother of Jody Scheckter and uncle of Tomas Scheckter.
- Ian Scott
- Ian Smith
- Ian Smith, former Rhodesian Prime Minister
- Ian Snell, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ian Somerhalder, actor
- Ian Stanley, British musician
- Ian Stannard, English cyclist
- Ian Stevenson Webster, British judge
- Ian Stewart
- Ian Stone, comedian
- Ian Stuart Donaldson, vocalist and frontman of controversial British band Skrewdriver
- Ian Svenonius, American musician
- Ian Thomas , American football player
- Ian Thomson
- Ian Thornley, Canadian musician
- Ian Thorpe, Australian swimmer
- Ian Van Dahl, Belgian artist
- Ian Walker , British sailor
- Ian Waltz, American discus thrower
- Ian Watkins , former lead singer of the alternative metal band Lostprophets, and convicted pedophile
- Ian H Watkins, British pop singer and actor, former member of Steps
- Ian Weatherhead, English watercolor artist
- Ian Webster, English footballer
- Ian West, politician
- Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Ian Wilmut, English embryologist, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep
- Ian Wilson
- Ian Wolfe, American actor
- Ian Wood
- Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
- Ian Wright, footballer
- Ian Ziering, actor
- Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bass player in Motörhead
- Ian McConville, webcomic artist of Mac Hall and Three Panel Soul
- Ian "Sam" Totman, British guitarist
- Ian Krankie, entertainer
As a middle name
- Michael Ian Black, American comedian
- Richard Ian Cox, Welsh-Canadian actor, voice actor, and radio host
- Thomas Ian Nicholas, Actor and singer
- Henry Ian Cusick, Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director
As a surname
- Janis Ian, singer and songwriter
- Scott Ian, stage name of Scott Ian Rosenfeld, guitarist with the metal band Anthrax
Notable Iains
- Iain Anders, English actor
- Iain Andrews, contemporary English painter
- Iain Archer, Northern Irish Singer-songwriter musician
- Iain Baird, Canadian former soccer defender
- Iain Ballamy, British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player
- Iain Balshaw, MBE, English rugby player
- Iain Bell, English composer
- Iain Banks, Scottish writer
- Iain Benson, legal philosopher, writer, professor and practising legal consultant
- Iain Black, British Columbia politician
- Iain Boal, Irish social historian of technics and the commons
- Iain Borden, English architectural historian and urban commentator
- Iain Brambell, Canadian rower
- Iain Brines, former Scottish football referee in the Scottish Premier League
- Iain Brunnschweiler, English former cricketer
- Iain Canning, English film producer
- Iain Chambers, English composer, producer and performer
- Iain Cheeseman, Australian scientist
- Iain Chisholm, Scottish footballer
- Iain Clough, British slalom canoer
- Iain Collings, Australian scientist
- Iain Connell, Scottish comedian and actor
- Iain Coucher, British businessman and consultant in the railway industry
- Iain Couzin, British scientist
- Iain Davidson, Scottish professional footballer
- Iain De Caestecker, Scottish actor
- Iain Dilthey, British film director
- Iain Donald Campbell, FRS Scottish biophysicist and academic
- Iain Dowie, Northern Irish football manager
- Iain Duncan, Canadian former ice hockey forward
- Iain Dunn, English former professional footballer
- Iain Durrant, Scottish footballer
- Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill, Scottish poet and piper
- Iain Evans , South African field hockey player
- Iain Fairley, Scottish rugby union player
- Iain Fearn, Scottish footballer
- Iain Finlay
- Iain Finlayson , British alpine skier
- Iain Glen, Scottish actor, noted for his role in TV's Game of Thrones
- Iain Gray, Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament
- Iain Harnden, Zimbabwean hurdler
- Iain Kay, Zimbabwean farmer and politician
- Iain Lee, British comedian, TV presenter and radio presenter
- Iain Macleod, British politician
- Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across Abbey Road
- Iain Matthews, formerly known as Ian Matthews, English musician, singer-songwriter, member of Fairport Convention
- Iain David McGeachy, birth name of John Martyn, British singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar
- Iain McKenzie, Scottish politician
- Iain O'Brien, New Zealand cricketer
- Iain Paxton, Scottish rugby player
- Iain Smith , Scottish politician
- Iain Duncan Smith, Leader of the Conservative Party, 2001–2003
- Iain Softley, film director
- Iain Stirling, Scottish TV presenter and comedian
- Iain Stewart
- Iain Sutherland, Scottish musician, member of The Sutherland Brothers
- Iain Sydie, 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 universe
- Iain Dean, a fictional character in the Casualty Central universe
Fictional Ians
- Ian – from Shane Jiraiya Cummings' short story, "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 – 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, 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 from the anime series Beyblade
- Ian Randall – from the Smallville, 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
- Ian from Ocult Records
- Janis Ian from the film, Mean Girls
- Ian Lightfoot, Tom Holland’s character from the Pixar film, Onward