Iaan
Sanskrit name meaning "Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the first name Iaan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Iaan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Iaan births was 2016 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Iaan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
133
~ 1 in 2,577,100 Americans
Peak year
2016
18 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,554
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Iaan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Iaan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 91 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Iaan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Iaan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Iaan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Iaans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Iaan
The name Iaan is a variant spelling of the traditional name Ian, which has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language. It is derived from the ancient Gaelic word "Iain," a pet form of the name Ioannes, which was the Scottish Gaelic rendition of the Greek name Ioannes, meaning "Jehovah has favored" or "God is gracious."
The earliest recorded use of the name Ian dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various Scottish historical records and documents. It gained popularity among the Scottish nobility and was widely used by members of prominent clans, such as the Clan Donald and the Clan Chattan.
In the 16th century, the name Ian was widely adopted by Scottish Protestants as a way to distance themselves from the Catholic connotations of the name John. This period saw a significant increase in the name's popularity, with several notable figures bearing the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ian was Ian MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, who lived from around 1337 to 1387. He was a powerful Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan Donald, known for his involvement in various conflicts with the Scottish Crown.
Another notable historical figure with the name Ian was Ian Muir (1511-1598), a Scottish Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the spread of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland.
In the 17th century, Ian Lom MacDonald (1624-1709) was a renowned Scottish Gaelic poet and bard from the Scottish Highlands. His works were influential in preserving and promoting Gaelic culture and tradition.
The 18th century saw the birth of Ian Maclean (1777-1849), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of geometry and the philosophy of mathematics.
In more recent times, Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the famous British author and creator of the James Bond series, brought further recognition to the name. His iconic literary creation, James Bond, has become a cultural phenomenon, further solidifying the name Ian in popular culture.
While the traditional spelling "Ian" remains more common, the variant spelling "Iaan" has emerged as a unique and distinctive way to represent this name with deep historical roots in Scottish culture and tradition.
People
Iaan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Iaan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Iaan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Iaan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 133 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Iaan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,577,100 US residents.
Is Iaan a common name?
We classify Iaan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 134 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Iaan most popular?
The single biggest year for Iaan was 2016, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Iaan is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Iaan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Iaan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Iaan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Iaan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Iaan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Iaan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Iaan?
See how many people have the name Iaan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.