Boys' name · peaked in 2005
Ian name popularity since 1925
258,303 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ian. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Ian is about 25 years old in 2026. Ian peaked in 2005 as the #68 name for boys, and it ranked #83 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 258,303
- Named Ian, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #83
- for boys in 2025 (3,924 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 815 girls · 257,488 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 2.20× its national share
Peak year is the year Ian made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ian births per year, 1925–2025
2005 was the biggest year for Ian both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1962 and 1967, Ian became 3.3× more common, from 1 in 7,360 baby boys to 1 in 2,260.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Ian's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ian.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ian in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 141 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 445 | #945 |
| 1940s | 5 | 779 | #770 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,670 | #556 |
| 1960s | 19 | 4,977 | #345 |
| 1970s | 135 | 17,186 | #144 |
| 1980s | 262 | 37,770 | #78 |
| 1990s | 146 | 54,007 | #67 |
| 2000s | 121 | 61,925 | #68 |
| 2010s | 74 | 52,475 | #76 |
| 2020–25 | 53 | 26,113 | #83 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
36.8% of babies named Ian from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Ian is most popular
The index compares Ian's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ian.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 2.20× | 847 |
| New Hampshire | 1.87× | 1,523 |
| Nevada | 1.87× | 1,721 |
| Hawaii | 1.81× | 1,463 |
| Colorado | 1.64× | 5,218 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ian's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ian.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ian (2005).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data