Recorded 1912–2025 · United States
Ian was most popular in 2005, when 6,704 American babies were given the name — ranking #103 that year. In 2025 it ranked #147, with 3,932 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 258,479 people named Ian.
Ian first appears in Social Security Administration records in 1912, which makes it about 113 years old as a recorded American name. It has been recorded in 114 of the 114 years since.
The Social Security Administration has recorded 258,479 American births named Ian between 1880 and 2025. That is recorded US births, not a world population — it counts people issued a Social Security number at birth in the United States. Of those, roughly 249,059 are estimated to be alive today.
3,932 American babies were named Ian in 2025, ranking #147 that year.
Ian is holding steady. Across 2021–2025 it averaged 4,377 births a year, against 5,517 a year across 2011–2015 — a change of -21% over the decade.
Measured on recorded births. American births overall have fallen since 2007, so most established names lose births over any recent decade — a name can shed births and still hold its rank. Compare the rank above, which is measured against the other names of the same year.
Across the whole record Ian is a boy’s name — 0.3% of the 258,479 Americans given it were girls and 99.7% were boys. In births since 2016 it is 0% girls and 100% boys.
Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.
Roughly 249,059 Americans named Ian are alive today — 96% of everyone ever recorded with the name. The median is 24 years old, and half are between 14 and 36.
An estimate, not a count. Recorded births are carried forward through the Social Security Administration’s 2023 period life table, by age and sex. That table describes mortality in one recent year, so it credits the oldest cohorts with today’s survival rather than the harsher rates they actually lived through — the further back a name peaked, the more this will overstate how many remain. It counts people issued a Social Security number at birth, not immigrants who arrived later.
Scottish · form of John, "God is gracious"
How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.
See Ian on the interactive charts
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Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org