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Boy · Scottish Gaelic, from Hebrew
Ian
Say it: EE-un
Meaning
A Scottish form of John, from Gaelic Iain, ultimately Hebrew Yochanan 'God is gracious'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Spread from Scotland to the rest of Britain in the early 20th century and became common in the US from the 1960s.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 236,523 babies given this name since 1912
- At its height in 2005, about 1 in 299 boys
- 4,234 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Iain, Ean
| Scottish Gaelic | Iain |
|---|---|
| English | John |
Famous bearers
- Ian Fleming, English novelist
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Parish baptism registers
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.