Ian
/ˈiː.ən/noun
A masculine given name, the Scottish form of John.
Did you know?Ian comes through Scottish Gaelic from the same ancient biblical root as John, ultimately tied to Hebrew Yôḥānān, meaning “Yahweh is gracious.”
Etymological Timeline
Hebrew Bible
Hebrew
Yôḥānān
““Yahweh is gracious””
Greek
Greek
Iōánnēs
“Greek form of the biblical name John”
Latin
Latin
Iohannes
“Latin ecclesiastical form of John”
Medieval Scotland
Scottish Gaelic
Iain
“Scottish Gaelic form of John”
20th Century
English
Ian
“English adoption of the Scottish Gaelic name”