| Angus | Ian | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | One strength | God is gracious |
| Origin | Scottish | scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ANG-gus | EE-uhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1912 |
| Peak year | 2006 (126) | 2005 (6,688) |
| In 2025 | 58 | 3,924 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Angus | Ian |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 423 | 26,113 |
| 2010s | 856 | 52,475 |
| 2000s | 1,042 | 61,925 |
| 1990s | 754 | 54,007 |
| 1980s | 360 | 37,770 |
| 1970s | 307 | 17,186 |
| 1960s | 283 | 4,977 |
| 1950s | 345 | 1,670 |
| 1940s | 405 | 779 |
| 1930s | 394 | 445 |
| 1920s | 660 | 225 |
| 1910s | 496 | 92 |
| 1900s | 128 | 0 |
| 1890s | 143 | 0 |
| 1880s | 155 | 0 |
Angus comes from the Gaelic Aonghas, “one choice” or “one strength.”
The Scottish Gaelic form of John (Iain), ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' One of several John-root names carrying the 'God is gracious' sense.
Ian is more popular than Angus today: about 3,924 US babies were given the name Ian in 2025, compared with 58 named Angus.
Angus means One strength (Scottish origin), while Ian means God is gracious (scottish origin).
In US records, Angus first appears in 1880 and Ian in 1912, so Angus has the longer recorded history.