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