Boys' name · since 1912
Ian
Ian has 257,664 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2005 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #148 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #83 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 257,664
- born since 1912
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Ian is the #83 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 257,664 recorded since 1912.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ian has been recorded 257,664 times among boys since 1912, currently ranked #83 nationally and more common than 99.4% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- #148 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #83 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 257,664 born since 1912
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ian ranks #148 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #83 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 257,664 born since 1912, peaking in the 2000s.
- #148 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #83 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 257,664
- born since 1912
- 2000s
- peak decade
Ian's 257,664 recorded births place it above 99.67% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ian compares
257,664 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ian's all-time total is 698x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ian | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 257,664 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,688 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ian splits its recorded history at 1969: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1912 (6 births) -- compare that against the 2005 peak of 6,688 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ian popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (2005)
- 6,688
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Ian popularity over time - girls
815 total births recorded since 1940 (Ian as girls' name)
Ian by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (61,925 births, 24% of the file).
2000s was Ian's strongest decade.
61,925 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Ian births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 92
1910s
92 births
- 1920s 225
1920s
225 births
- 1930s 445
1930s
445 births
- 1940s 779
1940s
779 births
- 1950s 1,670
1950s
1,670 births
- 1960s 4,977
1960s
4,977 births
- 1970s 17,186
1970s
17,186 births
- 1980s
1980s
37,770 births
- 1990s
1990s
54,007 births
- 2000s
2000s
61,925 births
- 2010s
2010s
52,475 births
- 2020s
2020s
26,113 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 61,925 births (24% of all-time use).
How Ian compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ian's total volume
Ian by state
Where Ian concentrates geographically, total births since 1912
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 35,215 | 13.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 21,364 | 8.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 17,798 | 6.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 12,389 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 12,235 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,460 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 10,236 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,693 | 3.4% |
35,215 of 257,664 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Ian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ian? ▼
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What to do with Ian's data
- Ian's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (61,925 total births) through the 2020s (26,113) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Ians (35,215 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ian
Nearby Names Like Ian
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ian
Compare Ian side by side: Ian vs Iann Ian vs Ianmichael Ian vs Iancarlo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ian
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ian: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2005)
Similar record span (~113 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1912–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ian draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.