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