| Ian | Alasdair | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | Defender of the people |
| Origin | scottish | Scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EE-uhn | AL-us-ter |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1912 | 1989 |
| Peak year | 2005 (6,688) | 2021 (37) |
| In 2025 | 3,924 | 28 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ian | Alasdair |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 26,113 | 167 |
| 2010s | 52,475 | 225 |
| 2000s | 61,925 | 85 |
| 1990s | 54,007 | 43 |
| 1980s | 37,770 | 5 |
| 1970s | 17,186 | 0 |
| 1960s | 4,977 | 0 |
| 1950s | 1,670 | 0 |
| 1940s | 779 | 0 |
| 1930s | 445 | 0 |
| 1920s | 225 | 0 |
| 1910s | 92 | 0 |
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.
Alasdair is the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
Ian is more popular than Alasdair today: about 3,924 US babies were given the name Ian in 2025, compared with 28 named Alasdair.
Ian means God is gracious (scottish origin), while Alasdair means Defender of the people (Scottish origin).
In US records, Ian first appears in 1912 and Alasdair in 1989, so Ian has the longer recorded history.