Ian

Where Ian comes from

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic Eòin.
— Wiktionary's entry for Ian
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1908
    Ian Fleming born
    British author
  2. 1912
    First appearance
    #2,269 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1939
    Ian McKellen born
    British actor
  4. 2003
    Peak, #65
    6,466 babies named Ian — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Eòin, equivalent to English John.
Namesakes
  • Ian Fleming · British author, 1908–1964
  • Ian McKellen · British actor, born 1939
  • Ian McShane · English actor, born 1942
  • Ian Somerhalder · American actor, born 1978
  • Ian McEwan · British author, born 1948

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.