The name is pronounced EE-an, however, some people choose to pronounce it Eye-an. Ian originated in Scotland and was derived from Eoin, the Gaelic form of John. By the 19th century, Eoin had evolved into Iain and then became Ian by the end of the century.

Ian is the Scottish and Gaelic form of John, which means God’s Gift. During medieval times, Eion was derived from the Latin Johannes.

One in five boys were named Ian in the middle ages. Ian first became popular with the success of writer Ian Fleming who created James Bond back in 1953 as the hero in Casino Royale. James Bond was featured in 12 novels and several short stories before Ian Fleming’s sudden death in 1964. Ian reached its popularity peak in the 1960s, gradually slipped out of the top 100 most popular names by the end of the 20th century. It was not in the top 100 male baby names in England in 2013.