NamePetalNamePetal

Ian

Ian is a boy's name of Hebrew and Biblical origin meaning “God is gracious.” In 2024 it was given to 4,547 boys in the United States.

Ian at a glance

Gender
Boy name
Origin
Biblical & Christian · English & American · Irish & Celtic
Meaning
“God is gracious”
Pronunciation
/ˈiː.ən/

About the name Ian

Ian belongs to the Biblical & Christian and English & American tradition. Its meaning — “God is gracious” — is the sense carried by its Hebrew and Biblical roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page.

In the United States, Ian first appears in Social Security records in 1912. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #65 in 2003, and in 2024 4,547 babies received the name — 253,707 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Ian in US records

First recorded (US)
1912
Best US rank
#65 in 2003
Peak year
2005
Babies named Ian in 2024
4,547
Total since 1880
253,707

Similar names

More names from the Biblical & Christian shelf:

JamesHebrew and BiblicalJohnHebrew and BiblicalMichaelHebrew and BiblicalDavidHebrew and BiblicalJosephHebrew and BiblicalThomasHebrew and BiblicalDanielHebrew and BiblicalMatthewHebrew and Biblical

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Ian mean?

Ian means “God is gracious” in its Hebrew and Biblical roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Ian a boy or girl name?

Ian is a boy name. In 2024, 4,547 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Ian?

Ian comes from the Biblical & Christian, English & American and Irish & Celtic tradition.

How popular is the name Ian?

Ian first appears in US records in 1912. Its best-ever ranking was #65 in 2003, and 4,547 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Ian?

Ian is pronounced /ˈiː.ən/ (IPA).

Share this name

Put the Ian name card on your own site or blog — free, with the code below. It keeps a small credit link back to this page.

<iframe src="https://namepetal.com/embed/ian/" width="100%" height="330" style="border:0;max-width:460px" loading="lazy" title="Ian name card — NamePetal"></iframe>

Card by NamePetal.

Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.