How popular is the name Ian?

Ian ranks 145th among boys' names in US records, with 262,054 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 49,265.

Is Ian a unisex name?

No. Ian is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

2005, when 6,917 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Iann, Eon, Eean. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#145 of boy names

Pronounced IY1 AA0 N (ARPABET)

Ian is a boys' name, and first appears in 1912. It has been given to 262,054 children — the 145th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 20% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 2005, when 6,917 children were given it.

Three other spellings are counted in that total — Iann, Eon and Eean — because they are pronounced identically.

2005Boys: 6,917Girls: 16

These spellings sound identical to Ian and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Ian?: Ian ranks 145th among boys' names in US records, with 262,054 births since 1912. Over the past decade it accounts for 49,265.
Is Ian a unisex name?: No. Ian is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Ian most popular?: 2005, when 6,917 children were given the name. It has been in use for 113 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Ian spelled?: Iann, Eon, Eean. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.