Ian or Iain is a name of

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

origin, derived from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

(

Yohanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning " YHWH is gracious". The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of th ...

, ') and corresponding to the English name

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, where it originated, as well as other

English-speaking Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

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 was the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales. , the name has been in the top 100 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

every year since 1982, peaking at 65 in 2003. Other Gaelic forms of "John" include "Seonaidh" ("Johnny" from Lowland Scots), "Seon" (from English), "Seathan", and "Seán" and "

Eoin Eoin (, or ) is an Irish name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is () and both are closely related to the Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish . In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as ''John'' in Engl ...

" (from Irish). Its

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

counterpart is

Ioan Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the cle ...

, its Cornish equivalent is Yowan and Breton equivalent is Yann.

Notable people named Ian

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

Ian Agol Ian Agol (born May 13, 1970) is an American mathematician who deals primarily with the topology of three-dimensional manifolds. Education and career Agol graduated with B.S. in mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in 1992 and ...

(born 1970), American mathematician * Ian Anderson (musician), lead of rock band Jethro Tull * Ian Astbury, singer of rock band

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

Ian Bairnson Ian Bairnson (born 3 August 1953 as ''John Bairnson'') is a Scottish musician, best known for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best ...

, guitarist of

The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompan ...

and Pilot * Ian Baker-Finch, golfer and 1991

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...

winner *

Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...

(1928–1999), British actor * Ian Bell, English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er *

Ian Berry (disambiguation) Ian Berry may refer to: * Ian Berry (photojournalist) (born 1934), British photojournalist in South Africa * Ian Berry (politician) Ian Morley Berry (born 3 November 1951) is an Australian Liberal National politician who was the member of th ...

, multiple people * Ian Black (disambiguation), multiple people * Sir Ian Blair, former Head of the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

Ian Bohen Ian Stuart Bohen (born September 24, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Peter Hale in MTV's ''Teen Wolf'' and as Ryan in Paramount Network's drama series ''Yellowstone''. Bohen also appeared in a recurring role as Roy Hazelitt A ...

(born 1976), American actor * Ian Bolton (born 1953), English footballer *

Ian Book Ian Book (born March 30, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the ...

(born 1998), American football player * Sir Ian Botham (born 1955), English

er * 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, singer in

The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...

, and music producer *

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, r ...

, singer and lyricist in

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

Ian Bunting Ian Bunting (born February 10, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan and California and was signed as an undrafted free agent in . Bunting ...

(born 1996), American football player * Ian Callaghan (born 1942), Liverpool footballer with the most appearances *

Ian Callum Ian Stuart Callum (born 30 July 1954) is a Scottish car designer who has worked for Ford, TWR, and Aston Martin. In 1999 he became the Director of Design for Jaguar Cars, later Jaguar Land Rover, a position he held until mid 2019. In 201 ...

(born 1954), British design director for Jaguar * Ian Cameron (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including '' ...

(1920–2010), OBE, actor * Ian Carter / iDubbbzTV (born 1990), YouTube personality *

Ian Chan Ian Chan Cheuk-yin (; born 9 June 1993), is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the Cantopop group Mirror. He was a former volleyball player for the Hong Kong men's national volleyball team and South China Athletic Associat ...

(born 1993), Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor * Ian Chappell (born 1943), former Australian cricketer *

Ian Charleson Ian Charleson (11 August 1949 – 6 January 1990) was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in the Oscar-winning 1981 film '' Chariots of Fire''. ...

(1949–1990), Scottish/British actor * Ian Clark (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Clyde Ian Clyde (born May 15, 1956 in Verdun, Quebec) is a retired boxer from Canada, who represented his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics. After defeating Charlie Magri of Great Britain, he was defeated in the quarterfinals of the men's f ...

(born 1956), Canadian boxer * Ian Cole (born 1989), hockey player * Ian Collier (1943–2008), singer and actor *

Ian Cooper (disambiguation) Ian Cooper may refer to: * Ian Cooper (Australian footballer, born 1946), former Australian rules football player * Ian Cooper (Australian footballer, born 1954), former Australian rules footballer * Ian Cooper (English footballer) (born 1946), for ...

, multiple people * Ian Crocker (born 1982), swimmer * Ian Curtis (1956-1980), singer and lyricist in

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

Ian Davidson (disambiguation) Ian Davidson may refer to: * Ian Davidson (footballer, born 1947), English footballer * Ian Davidson (footballer, born 1937), Scottish footballer * Ian Davidson (British politician) (born 1950), former Scottish Labour Co-operative MP * Ian Davidson ...

, multiple people *

Ian Davis (disambiguation) Ian Davis may refer to: * Ian Davis (businessman) (born 1951), British businessman * Ian Davis (cricketer) (born 1953), former Australian cricketer * Ian Davis (politician) (1939–2016), former Australian politician * Ian Davis (software develo ...

, multiple people *

Ian Desmond Ian Morgan Desmond (born September 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Desmond is a ...

(born 1985), Major League Baseball shortstop *

Ian Stuart Donaldson Ian Stuart Donaldson (11 August 1957 – 24 September 1993), also known as Ian Stuart, was an English neo-Nazi musician. He was best known as the front-man of Skrewdriver, a Punk band which, from 1982 onwards, he rebranded as a Rock Against ...

, vocalist and frontman of controversial British band

Skrewdriver Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white supremacist rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their original ...

Ian Dunn (activist) Ian Campbell Dunn (1 May 1943 – 10 March 1998) was a Scottish gay rights and pro-paedophilia campaigner. He was founder of The Scottish Minorities Group (later known as Outright Scotland), one of the first British gay rights organisations, ...

(1943-1998), Scottish gay and paedophile rights activist *

Ian Dunn (rugby union) Ian Thomas Wayne Dunn (born 11 June 1960) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A first five-eighth, Dunn represented North Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks The New Z ...

(born 1960), New Zealand rugby union player *

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...

(1942–2000), singer and songwriter * Ian Eagle (born 1969), American sports announcer *

Ian Edmond Ian Edmond (born 2 June 1978) is a former competitive swimmer and breaststroke specialist who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and competed for Scotland in the Commonwealth Games. ...

(born 1978), swimmer *

Ian Falconer Ian Woodward Falconer (born August 25, 1959) is an American author and illustrator of children's books, and a designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He has created 30 covers for ''The New Yorker'' as well as other publications. Falconer wro ...

(born 1959), American author and illustrator *

Ian Ferguson (disambiguation) Ian Ferguson may refer to: * Ian Ferguson (canoeist) (born 1952), Olympic kayaker from New Zealand * Ian Ferguson (writer), Canadian writer * Ian Ferguson (footballer, born 1967), former Rangers F.C. and Scotland footballer, now a manager in Aus ...

, multiple people * Ian Flanagan (born 1982), tennis player *

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...

(1908–1964), British novelist, creator of ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

'' * Ian Flynn (born 1982), American comic book writer *

Ian Frazier Ian Frazier (born 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American writer and humorist. He wrote the 1989 non-fiction history ''Great Plains'', 2010's non-fiction travelogue ''Travels in Siberia'', and works as a writer and humorist for ''The New Yorker ...

(born 1951), writer and humorist *

Ian Froman Ian Froman (born 6 May 1937) is a South African-born Israeli former tennis player and tennis patron. He is known for playing in the Wimbledon Championships in the 1950s, representing Israel in Davis Cup competition in the 1960s and 1970s, and p ...

(born 1937), South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron * Ian Gibbons (musician) (1952–2019), English keyboardist, member of The Kinks *

Ian Gibson (disambiguation) Ian Gibson may refer to: Sports * Ian Gibson (cricketer) (1936–1963), English cricketer * Ian Gibson (footballer, born 1943) (1943–2016), Scottish football player (Bradford Park Avenue, Middlesbrough, Coventry, Cardiff) *Ian Gibson (footballer, ...

, multiple people *

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

, lead singer of hard rock band

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

Ian Gleed Wing Commander Ian Richard Gleed (3 July 1916 – 16 April 1943), nicknamed "Widge," was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and flying ace credited with the destruction of 13 enemy aircraft during the Second World War. He served in the Battle of Fran ...

DSO DFC, English Royal Air Force

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

and one of the Few *

Ian Gold Ian Maurice Gold (born August 23, 1978) is a former American football player. Gold played eight seasons of professional football as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos from 2000 to 2003 and 2004 to 2007 and f ...

, former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player *

Ian Gomm Ian Robert Gomm (born 28 March 1947 in Chiswick, West London) is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by ''NME'' in 1971. Early career Gomm's caree ...

(born 1947), British guitarist and singer *

Ian Goodfellow Ian J. Goodfellow (born ) is a computer scientist, engineer, and executive, most noted for his work on artificial neural networks and deep learning. He was previously employed as a research scientist at Google Brain and director of machine learn ...

(born 1985), Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group at Apple computer *

Ian Gow Ian Reginald Edward Gow (; 11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British politician and solicitor. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne from 1974 until his assassination by the P ...

, British Member of Parliament assassinated by IRA terrorists in 1990 *

Ian Greig Ian Alexander Greig (born 8 December 1955) is a former professional cricketer, who played in two tests for England in 1982. He is the younger brother of former England captain and cricket commentator Tony Greig and the uncle of Durham UCCE pl ...

, former English cricketer and brother of

Tony Greig Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder wh ...

* Ian Grist (1938–2002), British politician * Ian Hallard (born 1974), British actor *

Ian Hamilton (disambiguation) Ian Hamilton may refer to: * Ian Hamilton (British Army officer) Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, (16 January 1853 – 12 October 1947) was a British Army general who had an extensive British Imperial military career in the Victorian and E ...

, multiple people * Ian Hanomansing, Canadian journalist and news anchor *

Ian Harding Ian Michael Harding (born September 16, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ezra Fitz in the Freeform mystery drama ''Pretty Little Liars'' from 2010 to 2017. Early life Harding was born in Heidelberg, West Germany, to an ...

(born 1986), actor * Ian Hart (born 1964), actor * Ian Haugland (born 1964 as Jan-Håkan Haugland), Norwegian-born Swedish drummer for the band

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Ian Healy Ian Andrew Healy (born 30 April 1964) is an Australian former international cricketer who played for Queensland domestically. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to international c ...

(born 1964), former Australian Wicket-Keeper * Ian Hecox, comedian with

Smosh Smosh is an American YouTube sketch comedy- improv collective founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash animations, and he was later joined by Hecox. They began to post vid ...

Ian Henderson (footballer) Ian Henderson (born 24 January 1985) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Rochdale. Henderson has played most of his career as a forward, but he has also been used in various midfield roles, he can operate on both side ...

, current Norwich City F.C. player in the

FA Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

* Ian Henderson (news presenter) (born 1952), Australian news presenter * Ian Henderson (police officer), former head of secret police in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...

, accused of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

Ian Henderson (rugby league) Ian Henderson (born 23 April 1983) is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. A Scotland international , his brothers, Andrew Henderson and Kevin, are also international rugby league ...

, Scottish rugby Rugby league positions#Hooker, hooker who plays in Australia *Ian Hennessy (born 1967), Irish soccer player *Ian Hicks (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Hill, bassist for metal band Judas Priest *Ian Hislop, satirist and editor of ''Private Eye'' *Ian Holm (1931–2020), British actor *Ian Ho (swimmer) (born 1997), Hong Kong freestyle swimmer *Ian Hornak (1944–2002), painter *Ian Hunter (actor) (1900–1975), English actor *Ian Hunter (singer), singer of Mott the Hoople *Ian McLellan Hunter (1915-1991), English screenwriter best known as the front (identity), front for the Hollywood blacklist, blacklisted Dalton Trumbo and who later found himself blacklisted *Ian Huntley, double murderer *Ian Jacobs (academic) (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 James Corlett (born 1962), cartoon writer and voice actor *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 Kennedy (born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher *Ian Kershaw (born 1943), historian *Ian Kochinski (born 1994), American YouTuber and livestreamer *Lemmy, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bass player in Motörhead *Ian Kinsler (born 1982), Israeli-American Major League Baseball All Star second baseman *The Krankies, Ian Krankie (born 1947), Scottish entertainer *Ian Laperrière (born 1974), hockey player *Ian Lavender (born 1946), English actor *Ian Law (born 1938), Australian footballer *Ian Levy, British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019 * Ian Hideo Levy (born 1950), American author *Ian Livingstone (born 1949), author *Ian Lorimer, television director *Ian Lucas (born 1960), politician *Ian MacArthur (1925–2007), politician *Ian MacDonald (1948–2003), author *Ian Macdonald QC (1939–2019) *Ian MacKaye (born 1962), musician *Ian Mahinmi (born 1986), basketball player *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), singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen *Ian McCulloch (snooker player) (born 1971), snooker player *Ian McDiarmid (born 1944), actor *Ian McDonald (musician), British musician, best known for being a member of both King Crimson and Foreigner (band), Foreigner *Ian McEwan (born 1948), English novelist and screenwriter *Ian McKay, recipient of the Victoria Cross *Ian McKellen, Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), actor *Ian McLagan, English musician, best known for being a member of both Small Faces and Faces (band), Faces *Ian McMillan (footballer) (born 1931), Scottish footballer *Ian McMillan (poet) (born 1956), poet *Ian McShane (born 1942), actor *Ian Messiter, creator of ''Just a Minute'' *Ian Moran (cricketer) (born 1979), Australian cricketer *Ian Moran (born 1972), American hockey player *Ian Morris (footballer), Irish professional Football (soccer), footballer *Ian Morrison (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Morton (born 1970), English cricketer *Ian Mosley, drummer for Marillion *Ian Moss, Australian musician, Cold Chisel *Ian Murdock, computer professional, creator of the Debian project *Ian Nepomniachtchi (born 1990), Russian chess grandmaster *Ian O'Brien (born 1947), swimmer *Ian Oswald Liddell, recipient of the Victoria Cross *Ian Paice, drummer of

*Ian Paisley (1926–2014), Protestant politician *Ian Patterson (born 1973), English footballer *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, Australian discus thrower *Ian Reid (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Richards (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Richardson (1934–2007), Scottish actor *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, former South African people, South African Formula One, F1 driver. Brother of Jody Scheckter and uncle of Tomas Scheckter. *Ian Scott (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Smith (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Smith (1919–2007), former Rhodesian Prime Minister *Ian Snell, 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, comedian *Ian Svenonius, American musician *Ian Thomas (American football) (born 1995), American football player *Ian Thomson (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Thornley (born 1972), Canadian musician *Ian Thorpe (born 1982), Australian swimmer *Sam Totman, Ian "Sam" Totman (born 1979), British guitarist *Ian Van Dahl, Belgian artist *Ian Veneracion, Filipino actor, athlete, pilot, and singer *Ian Walker (sailor) (born 1970), British sailor *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 Watkins (Steps), 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 *Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, recipient of the Victoria Cross *Ian Wilmut, English embryologist, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep *Ian Wilson (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Wolfe, American actor *Ian Wood (disambiguation), multiple people *Ian Woosnam (born 1958), Welsh golfer *Ian Wright (born 1963), footballer *Dweezil Zappa, Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa (born 1969), birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa *Ian Ziering (born 1964), 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, and radio host *Thomas Ian Nicholas (born 1980), Actor and singer *Henry Ian Cusick (born 1967), Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director

As a surname

*Janis Ian (born 1951), singer and songwriter *Scott Ian, stage name of Scott Ian Rosenfeld, guitarist with the metal band Anthrax (American 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 former soccer defender *Iain Ballamy (born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player *Iain Balshaw (born 1979), MBE, 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 former cricketer *Iain Canning (born 1979), English film producer *Iain Chambers, English composer, producer and performer *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), FRS (1941 – 2014) Scottish biophysicist and academic *Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager *Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian former ice hockey forward *Iain Dunn (born 1970), English former 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) *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 Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler *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 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 ''The Haunted House (anime), 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 (2006 film), Open Season'' movies * Ian Doyle – an Irish terrorist featured on ''Criminal Minds'' *Ian Edgerton, FBI agent and sniper from the show ''Numb3rs'' *List of Shameless (British TV series) characters#Ian Gallagher, Ian Gallagher, one of the main characters in the television drama ''Shameless (British TV series), Shameless'' * Ian Hainsworth – Susan Delfino's boyfriend in 3rd season of ''Desperate Housewives'' *Ian Hawke, the main antagonist in the ''Alvin and the Chipmunks (film), Alvin and the Chipmunks'' movies * Ian Howe – an antagonist in ''National Treasure (film), National Treasure'' * Ian Kabra – antagonist of the book series ''The 39 Clues'' * Ian Kelley – title character from the Canadian animated series ''Being Ian'' * 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 Malcolm (character), Ian Malcolm – from Michael Crichton's novel ''Jurassic Park (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, ''Outlander'' series * Ian Nottingham - a character from Witchblade comic and Witchblade (2001 TV series), TV series * Ian O'Shea – from Stephenie Meyer's novel ''The Host (novel), The Host'' * Ian Papov – character and member of the Demolition Boys (also known as the Blitzkrieg Boys) from the anime series ''Beyblade (manga), Beyblade'' (2000) * Ian Randall – from the Smallville (TV series), ''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 (novel), High Fidelity'' * Ian Rider – from the ''Alex Rider'' books *Recurring guest characters in Green Wing#Ian, Oscar, Jamie, Robbie and Stuart Schulenburg, 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'' *Children of All My Children#Ian Slater, Ian Slater, from the ABC soap opera ''All My Children'' * Ian Thomas – Ryan Merriman's character in the TV series ''Pretty Little Liars (TV series), Pretty Little Liars'' *Janis Ian (Mean Girls), Janis Ian, from the film ''Mean Girls'' * Ian Lightfoot, Tom Holland (actor), Tom Holland’s character from the film Onward (film), ''Onward''

Fictional people named Iain

* Iain Sterling, a fictional character in the ''Android: Netrunner'' universe *Iain Dean, a fictional character in the ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty Central'' universe

References

{{given name English-language masculine given names Scottish masculine given names English masculine given names Masculine given names Irish masculine given names Welsh masculine given names

Notable people named Ian

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

As a middle name

As a surname

Notable people named Iain

Fictional people named Ian

Fictional people named Iain

See also

References