| Ewan | Ian | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Born of the yew | God is gracious |
| Origin | Scottish | scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | YOO-un | EE-uhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1972 | 1912 |
| Peak year | 2013 (168) | 2005 (6,688) |
| In 2025 | 120 | 3,924 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ewan | Ian |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 747 | 26,113 |
| 2010s | 1,361 | 52,475 |
| 2000s | 993 | 61,925 |
| 1990s | 93 | 54,007 |
| 1980s | 29 | 37,770 |
| 1970s | 13 | 17,186 |
| 1960s | 0 | 4,977 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,670 |
| 1940s | 0 | 779 |
| 1930s | 0 | 445 |
| 1920s | 0 | 225 |
| 1910s | 0 | 92 |
Ewan is the Scottish form of Eugene/Owen, “born of the yew” or “youth.”
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 Ewan today: about 3,924 US babies were given the name Ian in 2025, compared with 120 named Ewan.
Ewan means Born of the yew (Scottish origin), while Ian means God is gracious (scottish origin).
In US records, Ewan first appears in 1972 and Ian in 1912, so Ian has the longer recorded history.