Ian is a distinctive choice, ranked #535 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Ian in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#535
US Rank #75
About the Name Ian
Ian is steadily gaining in popularity, up 63 places over the past five years. Its best recorded rank was #138 in 1996, and it currently sits at #535. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Ian is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school β standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #75, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Ian
Unlikely. With around 72 UK babies named Ian per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Ian in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Ian is currently rising in popularity in the UK, up 63 places over the last five years to #535 in 2024. If this trend continues, it will become more common in classrooms over the next decade.
Ian is more popular in the US (#75) than in the UK (#535). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Ian include: Ian Kelly (actor) β Ian Francis Kelly is a British writer and actor.; Ian Thomson (writer) β Ian Thomson is an English author, best known for his biography Primo Levi, and reportage, The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica.; Ian Astbury β Ian Robert Astbury is a British singer, best known as the lead vocalist, frontman and a founding member of the rock band The Cult..
Ian ranks #75 in the US (2024), making it comfortably inside the American top 100. It's well-liked on both sides of the Atlantic.
72
UK babies named Ian (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 63 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Ian
Likely around 1 other Ian in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Ian
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Ian Robert Astbury is a British singer, best known as the lead vocalist, frontman and a founding member of the rock band The Cult. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury fronted the short-lived band Holy Barbarians in 1996, and later from 2002 to 2007 served as the lead singer of Doors of the 21st century, a Doors tribute band that also featured original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger.
Ian Edward Wright is an English media personality and former professional footballer. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal as a forward, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter.
Sir Ian Murray McKellen is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction.
Sir Ian Kershaw is an English historian whose work has chiefly focused on the social history of 20th-century Germany. He is regarded by many as one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi Germany and noted for his biography of Adolf Hitler.
Ian Hunter may refer to: Ian Hunter (actor), South African-born British actor Ian Hunter (admiral), New Zealand naval officer Ian Hunter (artist), British artist and dean of Saint Martin's School of Art Ian Hunter (curator), Northern Irish artist and art curator Ian Hunter (cricketer), British cricketer Ian Hunter (impresario), British classical music and talent promoter Ian Hunter (politician), South Australian Labor Party politician Ian Hunter (rugby union), English rugby player and media marketer Ian Hunter (Scottish footballer) (fl.
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2008. Paisley became a Protestant evangelical minister in 1946 and remained one for the rest of his life.
Ian Ormondroyd is an English former professional footballer who made more than 350 appearances in the Football League and Premier League. He became famous for his height and build, in a similar manner to that of Peter Crouch.