Ian or Iain is a name of

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

origin, derived from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

given name (

Yohanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning "YHWH is gracious". The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of the Sec ...

, ') and corresponding to the English name

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, where it originated, as well as other English-speaking countries. The name has fallen out of the top 100 male baby names in the United Kingdom, having peaked in popularity as one of the top 10 names throughout the 1960s. In 1900, Ian was the 180th most popular male baby name in England and Wales. , the name has been in the top 100 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

every year since 1982, peaking at 65 in 2003. Other Gaelic forms of "John" include "Seonaidh" ("Johnny" from Lowland Scots), "Seon" (from English), "Seathan", and "Seán" and "

Eoin Eoin (, or ) is an Irish name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is () and both are closely related to the Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish . In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as ''John'' in Engl ...

" (from Irish). Its

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

counterpart is

Ioan Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the cl ...

, its Cornish equivalent is Yowan and Breton equivalent is

Yann Yann is a French male given name, specifically, the Breton form of "Jean" (French for "John"). Notable persons with the name Yann include: __NOTOC__ In arts and entertainment *Yann Martel (born 1963), Canadian author *Yann Moix (born 1968), Fr ...

Notable people named Ian

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

* Ian Agol (born 1970), American mathematician *

Ian Anderson (musician) Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist ...

, lead of rock band Jethro Tull *

Ian Astbury Ian Robert Astbury (born 14 May 1962) is an English singer, best known as a founding member, lead vocalist and frontman of the rock band the Cult. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury has fronted the short-lived Holy Barbarians in ...

, singer of rock band

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

Ian Bairnson Ian Bairnson (born 3 August 1953 as ''John Bairnson'') is a Scottish musician, best known for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best ...

, guitarist of

The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompanie ...

and

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

* Ian Baker-Finch, golfer and 1991

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

winner * Ian Bannen (1928–1999), British actor *

Ian Bell Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsm ...

, English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er * Ian Berry (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Black (disambiguation), multiple people * Sir Ian Blair, former Head of the Metropolitan Police Service * Ian Bohen (born 1976), American actor * Ian Bolton (born 1953), English footballer * Ian Book (born 1998), American football player *

Sir Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...

(born 1955), English

er * Ian Brady (Ian Duncan Stewart, 1938–2017), convicted for the

Moors murders The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...

in England in the 1960s * Ian Bremmer (born 1969), political scientist, author, entrepreneur *

Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...

, singer in

The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...

, and music producer *

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, re ...

, singer and lyricist in

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

* Ian Bunting (born 1996), American football player *

Ian Callaghan Ian Robert Callaghan MBE (born 10 April 1942) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He holds the record for most appearances for Liverpool. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) ...

(born 1942), Liverpool footballer with the most appearances * Ian Callum (born 1954), British design director for Jaguar * Ian Cameron (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ...

(1920–2010), OBE, actor * Ian Carter / iDubbbzTV (born 1990), YouTube personality *

Ian Chan Ian Chan Cheuk-yin (; born 9 June 1993), is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the Cantopop group Mirror. He was a former volleyball player for the Hong Kong men's national volleyball team and South China Athletic Associati ...

(born 1993), Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor *

Ian Chappell Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Bo ...

(born 1943), former Australian cricketer *

Ian Charleson Ian Charleson (11 August 1949 – 6 January 1990) was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in the Oscar-winning 1981 film ''Chariots of Fire''. H ...

(1949–1990), Scottish/British actor *

Ian Clark (disambiguation) Ian Clark may refer to: *Ian Clark (basketball) (born 1991), American basketball player *Ian Clark (director) English film director *Ian Clark (footballer) (born 1974), English former professional footballer *Ian Clark (geologist) professor in th ...

, multiple people * Ian Clyde (born 1956), Canadian boxer * Ian Cole (born 1989), hockey player * Ian Collier (1943–2008), singer and actor * Ian Cooper (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Crocker Ian Lowell Crocker (born August 31, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. During his career, he set world records in the 50- and 100-meter butterfly (long course and short ...

(born 1982), swimmer *

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums '' Unknown ...

(1956-1980), singer and lyricist in

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after att ...

Ian Davidson (disambiguation) Ian Davidson may refer to: *Ian Davidson (footballer, born 1947), English footballer *Ian Davidson (footballer, born 1937), Scottish footballer *Ian Davidson (British politician) (born 1950), former Scottish Labour Co-operative MP *Ian Davidson (Sou ...

, multiple people * Ian Davis (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Desmond (born 1985), Major League Baseball shortstop *

Ian Stuart Donaldson Ian Stuart Donaldson (11 August 1957 – 24 September 1993), also known as Ian Stuart, was an English neo-Nazi musician. He was best known as the front-man of Skrewdriver, a Punk band which, from 1982 onwards, he rebranded as a Rock Against C ...

, vocalist and frontman of controversial British band

Skrewdriver Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white supremacist rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their origina ...

Ian Dunn (activist) Ian Campbell Dunn (1 May 1943 – 10 March 1998) was a Scottish gay rights and pro-paedophilia campaigner. He was founder of The Scottish Minorities Group (later known as Outright Scotland), one of the first British gay rights organisations, a ...

(1943-1998), Scottish gay and paedophile rights activist *

Ian Dunn (rugby union) Ian Thomas Wayne Dunn (born 11 June 1960) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A first five-eighth, Dunn represented North Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks The New Z ...

(born 1960), New Zealand rugby union player *

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...

(1942–2000), singer and songwriter * Ian Eagle (born 1969), American sports announcer * Ian Edmond (born 1978), swimmer * Ian Falconer (born 1959), American author and illustrator *

Ian Ferguson (disambiguation) Ian Ferguson may refer to: * Ian Ferguson (canoeist) (born 1952), Olympic kayaker from New Zealand * Ian Ferguson (writer), Canadian writer * Ian Ferguson (footballer, born 1967), former Rangers F.C. and Scotland footballer, now a manager in Austra ...

, multiple people * Ian Flanagan (born 1982), tennis player * Ian Fleming (1908–1964), British novelist, creator of ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...

'' *

Ian Flynn Ian Flynn (born May 31, 1982), also known by his Internet pen name Ian Potto, is an American comic book writer. He was chief writer for Archie Comics's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' since issue #160, after the departure of the previous chief writer Ken ...

(born 1982), American comic book writer * Ian Frazier (born 1951), writer and humorist *

Ian Froman Ian Froman (born 6 May 1937) is a South African-born Israeli former tennis player and tennis patron. He is known for playing in the Wimbledon Championships in the 1950s, representing Israel in Davis Cup competition in the 1960s and 1970s, and ...

(born 1937), South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron * Ian Gibbons (musician) (1952–2019), English keyboardist, member of The Kinks * Ian Gibson (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

, lead singer of hard rock band Deep Purple *

Ian Gleed Wing Commander Ian Richard Gleed (3 July 1916 – 16 April 1943), nicknamed "Widge," was a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and flying ace credited with the destruction of 13 enemy aircraft during the Second World War. He served in the Battle of Fran ...

DSO DFC, English Royal Air Force

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

and one of the Few *

Ian Gold Ian Maurice Gold (born August 23, 1978) is a former American football player. Gold played eight seasons of professional football as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos from 2000 to 2003 and 2004 to 2007 a ...

, former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

player *

Ian Gomm Ian Robert Gomm (born 28 March 1947 in Chiswick, West London) is a British singer-songwriter, who was the rhythm guitarist for Brinsley Schwarz from 1970 to 1974. He was named "Best Rhythm Guitarist" by '' NME'' in 1971. Early career Gomm's care ...

(born 1947), British guitarist and singer * Ian Goodfellow (born 1985), Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group at Apple computer *

Ian Gow Ian Reginald Edward Gow (; 11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British politician and solicitor. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne from 1974 until his assassination by the ...

, British Member of Parliament assassinated by IRA terrorists in 1990 * Ian Greig, former English cricketer and brother of

Tony Greig Anthony William Greig (6 October 194629 December 2012) was a South African-born Test cricket captain turned commentator. Greig qualified to play for the England cricket team by virtue of his Scottish parentage. He was a tall () all-rounder wh ...

* Ian Grist (1938–2002), British politician * Ian Hallard (born 1974), British actor * Ian Hamilton (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Hanomansing, Canadian journalist and news anchor *

Ian Harding Ian Michael Harding (born September 16, 1986) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ezra Fitz in the Freeform mystery drama ''Pretty Little Liars'' from 2010 to 2017. Early life Harding was born in Heidelberg, West Germany, to an ...

(born 1986), actor *

Ian Hart Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles are Rabbit in the Channel Four drama miniseries '' One Summer'' (1983), Joe O'Reilly in the biopic '' Michael Collins'' (199 ...

(born 1964), actor *

Ian Haugland Jan-Håkan "Ian" Haugland (born 13 August 1964) is the drummer in the Swedish rock band Europe. When he was eight months old, he and his family moved to the Stockholm suburb of Märsta, Sweden. He joined Europe in the summer of 1984, replacing ...

(born 1964 as Jan-Håkan Haugland), Norwegian-born Swedish drummer for the band

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

Ian Healy Ian Andrew Healy (born 30 April 1964) is an Australian former international cricketer who played for Queensland domestically. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to internationa ...

(born 1964), former Australian Wicket-Keeper * Ian Hecox, comedian with

Smosh Smosh is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash animations, and he was later joined by Hecox. They began to post vide ...

Ian Henderson (footballer) Ian Henderson (born 24 January 1985) is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Rochdale. Henderson has played most of his career as a forward, but he has also been used in various midfield roles, he can operate on both sides ...

, current Norwich City F.C. player in the

FA Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

Ian Henderson (news presenter) Ian Henderson (born 15 August 1953) is a retired Australian television news presenter and journalist. Henderson was the weeknight presenter of '' ABC News Victoria'' in Melbourne and ''ABC News at Five''. Life and career Henderson graduated ...

(born 1952), Australian news presenter *

Ian Henderson (police officer) Ian Stuart McWalter Henderson, also known as Ian Stewart McWalter Henderson, (1927 – 13 April 2013) was a British citizen known for his role in resolving the Mau Mau crisis in Kenya in the late 1950s and for managing the Bahraini General Di ...

, former head of secret police in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, accused of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

* Ian Henderson (rugby league), Scottish rugby

hooker Hooker may refer to: People * Hooker (surname) Places Antarctica * Mount Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (South Shetland Islands) New Zealand * Hooker River * Mount Hooker (New Zealand) in the Southern Alps * Hoo ...

who plays in Australia * Ian Hennessy (born 1967), Irish soccer player * Ian Hicks (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Hill, bassist for metal band

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz show ...

, satirist and editor of ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent criticism ...

'' *

Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company ...

(1931–2020), British actor * Ian Ho (swimmer) (born 1997), Hong Kong freestyle swimmer * Ian Hornak (1944–2002), painter *

Ian Hunter (actor) Ian Hunter (13 June 1900 – 22 September 1975) was a Cape Colony-born British actor of stage, film and television. Biography Hunter was born in the Kenilworth area of Cape Town, Cape Colony where he spent his childhood. In his teen years, ...

(1900–1975), English actor *

Ian Hunter (singer) Ian Hunter Patterson (born 3 June 1939) is an English singer-songwriter and musician who is best known as the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople, from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and at the time of its 20 ...

, singer of

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...

* Ian McLellan Hunter (1915-1991), English screenwriter best known as the

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music *The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

for the

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', '' Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944 ...

and who later found himself blacklisted * Ian Huntley, double murderer *

Ian Jacobs (academic) Ian Jacobs (born 6 October 1957) is an academic, medical doctor, gynaecological oncologist, charity founder and university leader from the UK, with dual British and Australian citizenship. He began as the ninth president and vice-chancellor ...

(born 1957), English academic, gynaecological oncologist, gynaecologist/obstetrician *

Ian Jacobs Ian "Powerhouse" Jacobs is an Australian kickboxer and former 3 time World Kickboxing Champion. He has had victories over other former World Champions, such as Gurkan Ozkan by Unanimous points decision, and 'Diamond' Dale Westerman by Kno ...

, Australian kickboxer and 3-time World Kickboxing Champion * Ian James (athlete) (born 1963), Olympic athlete *

Ian James Corlett Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series '' Being Ian'' and '' Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first E ...

(born 1962), cartoon writer and voice actor * Ian Jones-Quartey (born 1984), animator * Ian Joyce (born 1985), American soccer player * Ian Kahn (born 1972), American actor * Ian Karmel (born 1984), American stand-up comedian and writer *

Ian Kennedy Ian Patrick Kennedy (born December 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, ...

(born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher *

Ian Kershaw Sir Ian Kershaw (born 29 April 1943) is an English historian whose work has chiefly focused on the social history of 20th-century Germany. He is regarded by many as one of the world's leading experts on Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, and is pa ...

(born 1943), historian *

Ian Kochinski Ian Kochinski (born February 14, 1994), better known as Vaush ( ), is an American left-wing YouTuber and Twitch streamer known for debating and discussing politics online from a libertarian socialist perspective. Early life Ian Kochins ...

(born 1994), American YouTuber and livestreamer * Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, singer/bass player in

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

* Ian Kinsler (born 1982), Israeli-American Major League Baseball All Star second baseman * Ian Krankie (born 1947), Scottish entertainer *

Ian Laperrière Ian Laperrière (born January 19, 1974) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and serves as the current head coach for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the American Hock ...

(born 1974), hockey player *

Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom ''Dad's Army'', and is the last surviving major cast member of the series following the ...

(born 1946), English actor * Ian Law (born 1938), Australian footballer * Ian Levy, British Conservative MP for Blyth Valley since 2019 * Ian Hideo Levy (born 1950), American author *

Ian Livingstone Sir Ian Livingstone (born 29 December 1949) is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. Along with Steve Jackson, he is the co-founder of a series of role-playing gamebooks, ''Fighting Fantasy'', and the author of many books within that s ...

(born 1949), author * Ian Lorimer, television director * Ian Lucas (born 1960), politician * Ian MacArthur (1925–2007), politician *

Ian MacDonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both '' Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from ...

(1948–2003), author * Ian Macdonald QC (1939–2019) *

Ian MacKaye Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of hardcore pu ...

(born 1962), musician * Ian Mahinmi (born 1986), basketball player *

Ian Martin (disambiguation) Ian Martin may refer to: * Ian Martin (UN official), English human rights activist and United Nations official * Ian Martin (writer) (born 1953), British comedy writer * Ian Martin (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer * Ian Kennedy Ma ...

, multiple people * Ian Matos (1989–2021), Brazilian diver * Ian Matthews (drummer) (born 1971), drummer for

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Ka ...

Ian Maxtone-Graham Ian Howes Maxtone-Graham is an American television writer and producer. He has formerly written for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1992–1995) and ''The Simpsons'' (1995–2012), as well as serving as a co-executive producer and consulting producer f ...

(born 1959), television writer and producer * Ian McAteer (born 1961), former gangster from Glasgow *

Ian McCaskill Ian McCaskill (born John Robertson McCaskill; 28 July 1938 – 10 December 2016) was a BBC weather forecaster. Early life McCaskill attended Queen's Park Secondary in Glasgow, and then the University of Glasgow, where he studied geology and ch ...

(1938–2016), weather forecaster * Ian McCulloch (actor) (born 1939), actor *

Ian McCulloch (singer) Ian Stephen McCulloch (born 5 May 1959) is an English singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Echo & the Bunnymen. Career McCulloch was a singer-songwriter with the Crucial Three, one of many local ...

, singer in the band Echo & the Bunnymen *

Ian McCulloch (snooker player) Ian McCulloch (born 28 July 1971) is an English former professional snooker player from Walton-Le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire. He is known for his ability to grind opponents down through protracted safety exchanges and disjointed breakbuilding. ...

(born 1971), snooker player *

Ian McDiarmid Ian McDiarmid (; born 11 August 1944) is a Scottish actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying the Sith Lord Emperor Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the ''Star Wars'' multimedia franchise. Making his stage debut in '' ...

(born 1944), actor *

Ian McDonald (musician) Ian Richard McDonald (25 June 1946 – 9 February 2022) was an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of the progressive rock band King Crimson in 1968, as well as the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. McDonald began ...

, British musician, best known for being a member of both

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

and Foreigner *

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...

(born 1948), English novelist and screenwriter *

Ian McKay Ian John McKay, VC (7 May 1953 – 12 June 1982) was a British Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Born ...

, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

* Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939), actor *

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

, English musician, best known for being a member of both

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The b ...

and Faces * Ian McMillan (footballer) (born 1931), Scottish footballer * Ian McMillan (poet) (born 1956), poet *

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series '' Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in ''Deadwood'' (20 ...

(born 1942), actor *

Ian Messiter Ian Cassan Messiter (2 April 1920 – 22 November 1999) was a BBC Radio producer and the creator of a number of panel games, including '' Just a Minute'', ''Dealing With Daniels'' and '' Many a Slip''. Messiter brought the successful '' twen ...

, creator of '' Just a Minute'' * Ian Moran (cricketer) (born 1979), Australian cricketer * Ian Moran (born 1972), American hockey player * Ian Morris (footballer), Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

* Ian Morrison (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Morton (born 1970), English cricketer *

Ian Mosley Ian F. Mosley (born 16 June 1953, Paddington, London, England) is an English drummer. He is best known for his long-time membership of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion, which he joined for their second album, ''Fugazi'', released in 19 ...

, drummer for

Marillion Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the mos ...

Ian Moss Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...

, Australian musician,

Cold Chisel Cold Chisel are an Australian pub rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1973 by mainstay members Ian Moss on guitar and vocals, Steve Prestwich on drums and Don Walker on piano and keyboards. They were soon joined by Jimmy Barnes (at the ...

Ian Murdock Ian Ashley Murdock (April28, 1973 – December 28, 2015) was an American software engineer, known for being the founder of the Debian project and Progeny Linux Systems, a commercial Linux company. Life and career Although Murdock's parents wer ...

, computer professional, creator of the

Debian Debian (), also known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The first version of De ...

project *

Ian Nepomniachtchi Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi ( rus, Ян Алекса́ндрович Непо́мнящий, r=Yan Aleksandrovich Nepomnyashchiy, p=ˈjan ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈpomnʲɪɕːɪj, a=Ru-Ian Alexandrovich Nepomnyashchij.ogg; born 14 J ...

(born 1990), Russian chess grandmaster * Ian O'Brien (born 1947), swimmer * Ian Oswald Liddell, recipient of the

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only memb ...

, drummer of Deep Purple *

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and Firs ...

(1926–2014), Protestant politician * Ian Patterson (born 1973), English footballer *

Ian Pearson (badminton) Ian J. Pearson (born 15 January 1974) is a retired English badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game ...

(born 1974), English badminton player * Ian Peck (born 1957), English cricketer *

Ian Pooley Ian Pooley (born Ian Pinnekamp in 1973) is a German record producer and DJ. While incorporating samples of various musical genres, Pooley's creations are usually classified as house or tech house with Brazilian influence. Biography Pooley's mu ...

(born 1973), German DJ * Ian Poulter (born 1976), English professional golfer *

Ian Punnett Case Ian Punnett (born March 3, 1960) is an American radio broadcaster, author, professor, and Episcopal deacon. In the early to mid 1980s, Punnett hosted the WLRW morning show in his college town along with Val Wallace. Punnett co-hosted ''Ian ...

(born 1960), American radio broadcaster and priest *

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a scho ...

(born 1960), Scottish novelist * Ian Reed, Australian discus thrower * Ian Reid (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Richards (disambiguation) Ian Richards may refer to: * Ian Richards (admiral) (1930–2022), Royal Australian Navy officer, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff 1983–84 * Ian Richards (racewalker) (born 1948), English race walker * Ian Richards (English cricketer) (born 1957), ...

, multiple people *

Ian Richardson Ian William Richardson (7 April 19349 February 2007) was a Scottish actor. He portrayed the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's '' House of Cards'' (1990–1995) television trilogy. Richardson was also a leading S ...

(1934–2007), Scottish actor * Ian Robinson (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Ross (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Rush Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a ...

(born 1961), Welsh international footballer *

Ian Sanders Ian Edward Wakefield Sanders, born 26 February 1961, at Edinburgh, Scotland, played first-class cricket in one match for Cambridge University and List A cricket in one match for Dorset. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast b ...

(born 1961), cricketer for Edinburgh, Scotland * Ian Sangalang (born 1991), Filipino professional basketball player *

Ian Scheckter Ian Scheckter (born 22 August 1947 in East London, South Africa, and educated at Selborne College) is a former racing driver. He participated in 20 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 30 March 1974. He scored no championshi ...

, former South African F1 driver. Brother of

Jody Scheckter Jody David Scheckter (born 29 January 1950) is a South African business proprietor and former motor racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980, winning the Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari. Scheckter remains the only Af ...

and uncle of

Tomas Scheckter Tomas Scheckter (born 21 September 1980) is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series. Early years Scheckter was born in Monte Carlo to 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter and his first wife ...

. *

Ian Scott (disambiguation) Ian Scott may refer to: *Sir Ian Dixon Scott (1909–2002), British civil servant and diplomat *Ian Scott (cyclist) (1915–1980), British silver medal winner at the 1948 Summer Olympics *Ian Scott (Rotarian) (1933–2001), founder of Australian Rot ...

, multiple people * Ian Smith (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

(1919–2007), former Rhodesian Prime Minister * Ian Snell,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

pitcher *

Ian Somerhalder Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama ''Lost'', Damon Salvatore in The CW's supernatural drama ''The Vampire Diaries'', and Dr. Luther Swann in Netflix's sci- ...

(born 1978), actor *

Ian Stanley Ian Christopher Stanley (born 28 February 1957) is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He was previously a member of the English band Tears for Fears for most of the 1980s, and played a key role in the making of their multi-plat ...

(born 1957), British musician *

Ian Stannard Ian Dexter Stannard (born 25 May 1987) is a British former professional track and road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020 for the , and teams, before retiring after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. He now ...

(born 1987), English cyclist * Ian Stevenson Webster (1925–2002), British judge * Ian Stewart (disambiguation), multiple people * Ian Stone, comedian *

Ian Svenonius Ian F Svenonius is an American musician and singer of various Washington, D.C.-based punk bands including Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War, XYZ, Escape-ism, and Chain and the Gang. Between his numerous projects, Svenonius has rel ...

, American musician *

Ian Thomas (American football) Ian Thomas (born June 6, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Indiana, and was drafted by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Dra ...

(born 1995), American football player * Ian Thomson (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Thornley Ian Thornley (born July 21, 1972) is a Canadian rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is best known for his band Big Wreck as well as Thornley, his solo project during the 2000s. Career Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Thornley stu ...

(born 1972), Canadian musician *

Ian Thorpe Ian James Thorpe, (born 13 October 1982) is an Australian retired swimmer who specialised in freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along with ...

(born 1982), Australian swimmer * Ian "Sam" Totman (born 1979), British guitarist *

Ian Van Dahl AnnaGrace, formerly Ian Van Dahl, was a Belgian progressive house, electro house, and deep house music project fronted by Belgian singer Annemie Coenen and produced by DJ and record producer Peter Luts. The project first achieved success in 200 ...

, Belgian artist *

Ian Veneracion Stephen Ian Lopez Veneracion (; born February 7, 1975) is a Filipino athlete, actor, pilot, and singer. He was a former talent of GMA Network and is currently an artist of ABS-CBN and TV5. Personal life and career His father is renowned paint ...

, Filipino actor, athlete, pilot, and singer * Ian Walker (sailor) (born 1970), British sailor * Ian Waltz (born 1977), American discus thrower *

Ian Watkins (Lostprophets singer) Ian David Karslake Watkins (born 30 July 1977) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the lead vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Lostprophets. In 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment for multiple sexual offenc ...

(born 1977), former lead singer of the alternative metal band Lostprophets, and convicted pedophile * Ian H Watkins (born 1976), British pop singer and actor, former member of Steps * Ian Weatherhead (born 1932), English watercolor artist *

Ian Webster Ian Webster (born ) a former Wales international rugby league footballer who plays as a or . A well respected sports / business personality who is often engaged for leadership commentary or running analysis of sporting organisations. Backgroun ...

(born 1986), English footballer * Ian West (born 1951), Australian politician * Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, recipient of the

Ian Wilmut Sir Ian Wilmut, OBE FRS -- FMedSci FRSE (born 7 July 1944) is an English embryologist and Chair of the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known as the leader of the research group that in 199 ...

, English

embryologist Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...

, best known for cloning Dolly the sheep * Ian Wilson (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a ...

, American actor * Ian Wood (disambiguation), multiple people *

Ian Woosnam Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. Nicknamed 'Woosie', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europ ...

(born 1958), Welsh golfer *

Ian Wright Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arse ...

(born 1963), footballer * Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa (born 1969), birth name of American musician Dweezil Zappa *

Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering (; born March 30, 1964) is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', which he played from 1990 to 2000. He is also the voice of Vinnie on ''Biker Mice from M ...

(born 1964), actor

As a middle name

Michael Ian Black Michael Ian Black (born Michael Ian Schwartz; August 12, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including '' The State'', '' Viva Variety'', ''Stella'', '' Wet Hot American Summer: F ...

(often credited by his full name, born 1971), American comedian *

Richard Ian Cox Richard Ian Cox (born October 3, 1973) is a Welsh-born Canadian actor, comedian and online radio host. He is best known for his voice work for English language dubs of anime, mainly for ''Inuyasha''. Cox gained prominence for playing the char ...

(born 1973), Welsh-Canadian actor, voice actor, and radio host *

Thomas Ian Nicholas Thomas Ian Nicholas (born July 10, 1980) is an American film actor, film producer and singer. Nicholas is best known for playing Henry Rowengartner in '' Rookie of the Year'', Walt Disney in ''Walt Before Mickey'' and Kevin Myers in the ''Ameri ...

(born 1980), Actor and singer *

Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series '' Lost'', for which he received a Pri ...

(born 1967), Scottish-Peruvian actor and television director

As a surname

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit " Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" and the 1975 Top T ...

(born 1951), singer and songwriter *

Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ian is the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroo ...

, stage name of Scott Ian Rosenfeld, guitarist with the metal band

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

Notable people named Iain

* Iain Anders (1933–1997), English actor *

Iain Andrews Iain Andrews (born 1974) is an contemporary English painter. He lives and works in Manchester, England. He received a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons) in Fine Art and a Master of Arts (MA) in Painting from University College of Wales, Abe ...

(born 1975), contemporary English painter *

Iain Archer Iain Archer is a writer, producer and solo artist from Bangor, Northern Ireland. He is a two-time Ivor Novello Award winner, winning the 2004 Album Award – '' Final Straw'' by Snow Patrol and Most Performed Work in 2016 for Grammy nominated ...

, Northern Irish Singer-songwriter musician *

Iain Armitage Iain Armitage (; born July 15, 2008) is an American child actor. He is known for starring as Sheldon Cooper in '' Young Sheldon'', a prequel to '' The Big Bang Theory'', and Ziggy Chapman in '' Big Little Lies''. In 2018, Armitage received the ...

(born 2008), American child actor * Iain Baird (born 1971), Canadian former soccer defender *

Iain Ballamy Iain Ballamy (born 20 February 1964) is a British composer and saxophonist. He is considered one of the greatest modern jazz saxophonists. Career Ballamy was born in Guildford, Surrey, and educated at George Abbot School, Guildford, from 197 ...

(born 1964), British composer, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone player *

Iain Balshaw Iain Robert Balshaw, MBE (born 18 April 1979) is an English former rugby union player who played on the wing or at full back for Bath, Leeds Carnegie, Gloucester and Biarritz Olympique. He won 35 international caps for England between 2000 an ...

(born 1979), MBE, English rugby player * Iain Bell (born 1980), English composer *

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Facto ...

(1954–2013), Scottish writer * Iain Benson (born 1955), legal philosopher, writer, professor and practising legal consultant * Iain Black (born 1967),

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

politician * Iain Boal, Irish social historian of technics and the commons * Iain Borden (born 1962), English architectural historian and urban commentator *

Iain Brambell Iain Brambell (born November 10, 1973) was born and raised in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia. Brambell is a three time Canadian Olympic rower having competed in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. He is a graduate of Brock University ...

(born 1973), Canadian rower * Iain Brines (born 1967), former Scottish football referee in the Scottish Premier League * Iain Brunnschweiler (born 1979), English former cricketer * Iain Canning (born 1979), English film producer * Iain Chambers, English composer, producer and performer * Iain Cheeseman, Australian scientist * Iain Chisholm (born 1985), Scottish footballer * Iain Clough (born 1965), British slalom canoer * Iain Collings, Australian scientist * Iain Connell (born 1977), Scottish comedian and actor * Iain Coucher (born 1961), British businessman and consultant in the railway industry * Iain Couzin, British scientist *

Iain Dale Iain Campbell Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British broadcaster, author and political commentator, and a former publisher and book retailer. He has been a blogger since 2002. In 2005, he became the first openly gay Conservative candidate to c ...

(born 1962), British broadcaster, author and political commentator *

Iain Davidson Iain Davidson (born 14 January 1984) is a Scottish professional footballer and currently plays for Lowland league Football League side Cowdenbeath, in his second spell at the club. Davidson mainly plays as a defensive midfielder but can also b ...

(born 1984), Scottish professional footballer *

Iain De Caestecker Iain De Caestecker ( ; born 29 December 1987) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying Leopold Fitz/The Doctor in the television series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''. He is also known for his roles in Coronation Street as Adam Barlow ...

(born 1987), Scottish actor *

Iain Dilthey Iain Dilthey (born 1971 in Scotland) is a British film director. Filmography * ''Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen (2000), Ich werde dich auf Händen tragen'' (2000) * ''The Longing (film), The Longing'' (2002) * ''Gefangene'' (2006) Awards H ...

(born 1971), British film director * Iain Donald Campbell (1941–2014), FRS (1941 – 2014) Scottish biophysicist and academic * Iain Dowie (born 1965), Northern Irish football manager * Iain Duncan (born 1963), Canadian former ice hockey forward * Iain Dunn (born 1970), English former professional footballer * Iain Durrant (born 1966), Scottish footballer *

Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill Iain Eairdsidh MacAsgaill (19 February 1898 – 4 June 1934), alias the Bàrd Bheàrnaraigh ("the Bard of Berneray") was a Scottish World War I veteran of the King's Own Cameron Highlanders, a Western Australian bush poet in Scottish Gaelic, ...

(1898—1934), Scottish poet and piper * Iain Evans (field hockey) (born 1981), South African field hockey player * Iain Fairley (born 1973), Scottish rugby union player *

Iain Fearn Iain Fearn (born 16 December 1949) was a Scottish footballer who played for Queen's Park, Hamilton, Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where th ...

(born 1949), Scottish footballer * Iain Finlay (born 1935) * Iain Finlayson (alpine skier) (1951–1990), British alpine skier * Iain Glen (born 1961), Scottish actor, noted for his role in TV's ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the firs ...

'' *

Iain Gray Iain Cumming Gray (born 7 June 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 to 2011. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the East Lothian constituency from 2007 to 2021, having p ...

(born 1957), Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament * Iain Harnden (born 1976), Zimbabwean hurdler *

Iain Kay James Hamilton Iain Kay (born 1949) is a Zimbabwean farmer and politician who served in the House of Assembly from 2009 to 2013. Previously, he was a commercial farmer near Marondera, Mashonaland East Province. He was also the subject of violent ...

(born 1949), Zimbabwean farmer and politician *

Iain Lee Iain Lee (born Iain Lee Rougvie; 9 June 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer, and former television presenter and stand-up comedian who hosts the phone-in talk show '' The Late Night Alternative'' on "pay to view" Patreon. Lee's career bega ...

(born 1973), British comedian, TV presenter and radio presenter * Iain Lindsay (born 1959), British diplomat *

Iain Macleod Iain Norman Macleod (11 November 1913 – 20 July 1970) was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister. A playboy and professional bridge player in his twenties, after war service Macleod worked for the Conservative Rese ...

(1913–1970), British politician * Iain Macmillan (1938–2006), Scottish photographer, noted for his image of the Beatles walking across ''

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...

'' *

Iain Matthews Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald, 16 June 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthe ...

(born 1946), formerly known as Ian Matthews, English musician, singer-songwriter, member of Fairport Convention * Iain David McGeachy (1948–2009), birth name of

John Martyn Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums, and received frequent critical acclaim. ...

, British singer-songwriter and guitarist *

Iain McGilchrist Iain McGilchrist (born 1953) is a psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar. McGilchrist came to prominence after the publication of his book '' The Master and His Emissary'', subtitled ''The Divided Brain and the Making of the Wes ...

(born 1953), psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar * Iain McKenzie (born 1959), Scottish politician * Iain O'Brien (born 1976), New Zealand cricketer * Iain Paxton (born 1957), Scottish rugby player *

Iain Robertson Iain Robertson (born 27 May 1981) is a BAFTA award winning Scottish actor. He portrayed Lex in cult Glasgow gang film, '' Small Faces'', though Robertson is also known for his work in the long-running children's drama, '' Grange Hill'' and '' ...

(born 1981), Scottish actor * Iain Smith (Scottish politician) (born 1960), Scottish politician *

Iain Duncan Smith Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was ...

(born 1954), Leader of the Conservative Party, 2001–2003 *

Iain Softley Iain Declan Softley (born 28 October 1956) is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include ''Backbeat,'' '' Hackers, The Wings of the Dove'', '' K-PAX'', ''The Skeleton Key'', '' Inkheart'' and the BBC adaptation of ...

(born 1958), film director * Iain Stirling (born 1988), Scottish TV presenter and comedian * Iain Stewart (disambiguation), multiple people * Iain Sutherland (1948–2019), Scottish musician, member of The Sutherland Brothers *

Iain Sydie Iain Sydie (born November 12, 1969 in North York, Ontario) is a badminton player from Canada, who won the silver medal in the inaugural men's singles competition at the 1995 Pan American Games. He also took away a gold from that tournamen ...

(born 1969), Canadian badminton player * Iain Torrance (born 1949), President of

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly o ...

and former

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Asse ...

Fictional people named Ian

* Ian – the supporting character from ''

Shinbi's Haunted House Tooniverse (; portmanteau short for ''Cartoon Universe'') is a cartoon and anime channel broadcast by CJ ENM E&M Division (formerly On-Media), in South Korea. Tooniverse commenced airing in December 1995 and is currently one of the leading a ...

'' anime * Ian – from Shane Jiraiya Cummings' short story "Ian"; every male character the protagonist meets is called Ian * Ian – from

Sarah Kane Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological� ...

's play ''

Blasted ''Blasted'' is the first play by the British author Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1995 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. Synopsis The play is set in an expensive hotel room in Leeds. Ian, a foul-mouthed middle-aged tabloid ...

'' * Ian – from '' Leprechaun 2'' * Ian – the protagonist in the manga ''Not Simple'' by Natsume Ono *

Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the drama's longest-serving main character and, following the departure of Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard) in 2006, became the only one ...

, from the TV soap opera '' EastEnders'' *

Ian Chesterton Ian Chesterton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and a companion of the First Doctor. He was played in the series by William Russell, and was one of the members of the programme's first ...

, from the TV series '' Doctor Who'' * Ian Craig – from the radio soap opera ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...

'' * Ian the Deer – Elliot's arch-rival in the '' Open Season'' movies * Ian Doyle – an Irish terrorist featured on ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...

'' * Ian Edgerton, FBI agent and sniper from the show ''

Numb3rs ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...

'' * Ian Gallagher, one of the main characters in the television drama '' Shameless'' * Ian Hainsworth – Susan Delfino's boyfriend in 3rd season of ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a to ...

'' * Ian Hawke, the main antagonist in the ''

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three ...

'' movies * Ian Howe – an antagonist in ''

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundam ...

'' * Ian Kabra – antagonist of the book series '' The 39 Clues'' * Ian Kelley – title character from the Canadian animated series '' Being Ian'' * Ian Lewis and Ian Ketterman (together with dozens of other Ians) – characters created by

Lee and Herring Lee and Herring were a British standup comedy double act consisting of the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. They were most famous for their work on television, most notably '' Fist of Fun'' and ''This Morning with Richard Not Judy' ...

; the duo used 'Ian' as their de facto comedy name, in such sketches as the Ian News * Ian Malcolm – from Michael Crichton's novel ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 whe ...

'' * Ian (MÄR), a recurring character in the

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

and

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

series ''

MÄR ''Märchen Awakens Romance'', officially abbreviated as ''MÄR'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai, serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from January 2003 to July 2006. ''MÄR'' follows 14-ye ...

'' * Ian Maxtone-Graham – from the TV series ''

Suddenly Susan ''Suddenly Susan'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1996, to December 26, 2000. The series was created by Clyde Phillips and starred Brooke Shields in her first regular series. Shields played Susan Keane, a ...

'' * Professor Ian McClaine – adoptive father of ''

Joe 90 ''Joe 90'' is a 1968–1969 British science-fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, Century 21, for ITC Entertainment. It follows the exploits of nine-year-old schoolboy Joe Mc ...

'' * Ian McKenzie – the liberal attorney from the novel and the film ''

A Dry White Season ''A Dry White Season'' is a 1989 American drama film directed by Euzhan Palcy and starring Donald Sutherland, Jürgen Prochnow, Marlon Brando, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae and Susan Sarandon. It was written by Colin Welland and Palcy, based up ...

'' * Ian McKinley – from the movie '' Final Destination 3'' * Ian Miller – from the movie '' My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' * Ian Murray, the nephew of Jamie Fraser in

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...

's ''Outlander'' series * Ian Nottingham - a character from Witchblade comic and

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

* Ian O'Shea – from Stephenie Meyer's novel '' The Host'' * Ian Papov – character and member of the Demolition Boys (also known as the Blitzkrieg Boys) from the anime series ''

Beyblade is a line of spinning-top toys originally developed by Takara, first released in Japan in July 1999, along with its debut series. Following Takara's merger with Tomy in 2006, Beyblades are now developed by Takara Tomy. Various toy companies ...

'' (2000) * Ian Randall – from the ''Smallville'' (TV series), episodes "Dichotic" and "Asylum", a character who had the ability to duplicate himself * Ian Raymond – Laura's boyfriend in the novel and film '' High Fidelity'' * Ian Rider – from the ''

Alex Rider ''Alex Rider'' is a series of spy novels written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The novels revolve around a teenage spy named Alex Rider and is primarily aimed towards young adults. The series currently comprises thirteen novels, as we ...

'' books * Ian Schulenburg – unseen husband of Harriet Schulenburg in ''

Green Wing ''Green Wing'' is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show ''Smack the Pony'' – Channel 4 commissioner Caroline Leddy and producer Victoria Pile – and stars Mark Hea ...

'' * Ian Scuffling – Tyrone Slothrup's adopted name after he goes into hiding in

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, Literary genre, genres and Theme (narrative), them ...

's ''

Gravity's Rainbow ''Gravity's Rainbow'' is a 1973 novel by American writer Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, ...

'' * Ian Slater, from the ABC soap opera ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'' * Ian Thomas – Ryan Merriman's character in the TV series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' *

, from the film ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and ...

'' * Ian Lightfoot,

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications ...

’s character from the film ''Onward''

Fictional people named Iain

* Iain Sterling, a fictional character in the '' Android: Netrunner'' universe * Iain Dean, a fictional character in the '' Casualty Central'' universe

References

{{given name English-language masculine given names Scottish masculine given names English masculine given names Masculine given names Irish masculine given names Welsh masculine given names

Notable people named Ian

As a first name (alphabetical by family name)

As a middle name

As a surname

Notable people named Iain

Fictional people named Ian

Fictional people named Iain

See also

References