Ian

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.

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

 * Ian Alexander (disambiguation), multiple people
 * 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 Beausoleil-Morrison, American aerospace engineer
 * 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 Bogost, American video game designer and academic
 * 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), English actor
 * Ian S. E. Carmichael (1930–2011), American volcanologist
 * Ian "iDubbbz" Carter (born 1990), American YouTube personality
 * Ian Chan (born 1993), Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor
 * Ian Brackenbury Channell, birth name of The Wizard of New Zealand (born 1932), educator, comedian, magician, and politician
 * Ian Chappell (born 1943), 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 Colquhoun, New Zealand cricketer
 * Ian Colquhoun (author), Scottish actor and writer
 * 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 Curteis (1935-2021), English television writer
 * Ian Curtis (1956–1980), singer and lyricist in Joy Division
 * Ian Dalrymple (1903–1989), British filmmaker
 * 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 Forrest (born 1950), British racing driver
 * Ian Frazier (born 1951), American writer and humorist
 * Ian Froman (born 1937), South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron
 * Ian George (artist) (1953–2016), Cook Islands artist
 * 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 (1916–1943), English Royal Air Force flying ace and one of the Few
 * Ian Gold (born 1978), American football player
 * Ian Gomm (born 1947), British guitarist and singer
 * Ian Goodfellow (born 1987), Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group at Apple computer
 * Ian Gow (1937–1990), British Member of Parliament assassinated by IRA terrorists
 * Ian Gregson (athlete) (born 1962), Canadian actor, musician, activist
 * Ian Greig (born 1955), English cricketer, 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), Australian wicket-keeper
 * Ian Hecox (born 1987), American 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) (1927–2013), former head of secret police in Bahrain, accused of torture
 * Ian Henderson (rugby league) (born 1983), Scottish rugby hooker who plays in Australia
 * Ian Hennessy (born 1967), Irish soccer player
 * Ian Hicks (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ian Hill (born 1951), bassist for metal band Judas Priest
 * Ian Hislop (born 1960), British satirist and editor of Private Eye
 * Sir Ian Holm (1931–2020), British actor
 * Ian Holmes (footballer, born 1950)
 * Ian Holmes (runner) (born 1965), English runner
 * Ian Holmes (footballer, born 1985)
 * 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 (born 1974), double murderer
 * Ian Jacobs (oncologist) (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 Keith (1899–1960), American actor
 * Ian Kennedy (born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Ian Kershaw (born 1943), English historian
 * Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (1945–2015), 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 (1946–2024), English actor
 * Ian Law (born 1938), Australian footballer
 * Ian Levy (born 1966), British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019
 * Ian Hideo Levy (born 1950), American author
 * Ian Oswald Liddell (1919–1945), recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Ian Livingstone (born 1949), author
 * Ian Lorimer, British 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) (born 1959), British singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen
 * Ian McCulloch (snooker player) (born 1971), snooker player
 * Ian McDiarmid (born 1944), Scottish actor
 * Ian McDonald (musician) (1946–2022), British musician, best known for being a member of both King Crimson and Foreigner
 * Ian McEwan (born 1948), English novelist and screenwriter
 * Ian McKay (1953–1982), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), English actor
 * Ian McLagan (1945–2014), 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)
 * Ian McShane (born 1942), actor
 * Ian Messiter (1920–1999), English creator of Just a Minute
 * Ian Miles (born 1952), Australian footballer
 * Ian Moran (cricketer) (born 1979), Australian cricketer
 * Ian Moran (born 1972), American hockey player
 * Ian Morris (cricketer) (born 1946), Welsh cricketer
 * Ian Morris (musician) (1957–2010), New Zealand musician
 * Ian Morris (historian) (born 1960), British historian
 * Ian Morris (athlete) (born 1961), Trinidadian athlete
 * Ian Morris (footballer) (born 1987), Irish professional footballer
 * Ian Morrison (journalist) (1913–1950), Australian journalist
 * Ian Morrison (RNZAF officer) (1914–1997), senior officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
 * Ian "Scotty" Morrison (born 1930), former National Hockey League referee and vice president
 * Ian Morrison (footballer) (born 1954), Australian rules footballer
 * Sir Ian Morrow (1912–2006), British accountant and politician
 * Ian Morton (born 1970), English cricketer
 * Ian Mosley (born 1953), drummer for Marillion
 * Ian Moss (born 1955), Australian musician, Cold Chisel
 * Ian Murdock (1973–2015), computer professional, creator of the Debian project
 * Ian Nepomniachtchi (born 1990), Russian chess grandmaster
 * Ian O'Brien (born 1947), swimmer
 * Ian Paice (born 1948), 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 (1927–2020), Australian discus thrower
 * Ian Reid (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ian Richards (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ian Richardson (1934–2007), Scottish actor
 * Ian Roberts (athlete) (born 1973), Guyanese-American educator and former Olympic athlete
 * 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 Shaw (actor) (born 1969)
 * Ian Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ian Smith (1919–2007), Prime Minister of Rhodesia 1964–1979
 * 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, English comedian
 * Ian Svenonius (born 1968), American musician
 * Ian Tattershall, (born 1945), American paleoanthropologist
 * Ian Thomas (disambiguation), multiple people
 * 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 Tracey (born 1964), Canadian actor
 * Ian Tyson (1933–2022), Canadian singer-songwriter
 * Ian Van Dahl, Belgian artist
 * Ian Veneracion (born 1975), Filipino actor, athlete, pilot, and singer
 * Ian Voigt, American sound engineer
 * Ian Walker (sailor) (born 1970), British sailor
 * Ian Wallace (disambiguation), multiple people
 * 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
 * Sir Ian Wilmut (1944–2023), English embryologist, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep
 * Ian Wilson (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ian Wingrove (1942–2023), British-American visual effects artist
 * 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, birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa (born 1969)
 * 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
 * Henry Ian Cusick (born 1967), Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director
 * James Ian Keith, 12th Earl of Kintore (1908–1989)
 * Thomas Ian Nicholas (born 1980), American actor and singer
 * Andrew Ian Porter (born 1946), American editor, publisher, and science fiction fan

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 soccer defender
 * Iain Ballamy (born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player
 * Iain Balshaw (born 1979), 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 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), Scottish biophysicist and academic
 * Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager
 * Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian ice hockey forward
 * Iain Dunn (born 1970), English 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 Hamilton (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Iain Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler
 * Iain Henderson (born 1992), professional rugby player for Ulster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions
 * 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 Morrison (rugby union) (born 1962), Scottish rugby union player
 * Iain Morrison (born 1983), English rugby league player
 * Iain Morrison (musician), Scottish musician
 * 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