Names like Ian
Ian is a two-syllable Scottish name that ends in -an. Each list below follows one of those threads on its own, so you can see exactly what the names share.
The same sound
Two syllables, ending the same way as Ian.
Logan Scottish · "little hollow," from the Gaelic lagan, a Scottish place and clan name; it crossed from surname to first name and climbed for decades, worn mostly by boys and increasingly by girls. Highland roots, all-terrain modern appeal
Ivan Slavic · God is gracious
Evan Welsh · "Yahweh is gracious," as the Welsh form of John, worn smooth through Ieuan and Ifan; centuries of use in Wales, then an easy crossover into the American mainstream. All the heritage of John with none of its ubiquity
Ilan Hebrew · tree
The same roots
Also Scottish names, from the tradition Ian comes from.
Ewan Scottish · Scottish Gaelic form of Eugene, traditionally 'born of the yew tree'
Lachlan Scottish · from the land of lochs (Norway)
Colin Scottish · two honest roots: a medieval English pet form of Col, short for Nicholas, and the Gaelic Cailean, "whelp, young hound," a great Campbell clan name; either way a soft-spoken classic with centuries of quiet use on both sides of the border
Gordon Scottish · from a Scottish place name and clan surname, traditionally 'spacious fort'
The same feel
Also biblical and classic names.
Adan Hebrew · Spanish form of Adam, "man of the earth"
Cristian Spanish · Romanian form of Christian, and a Spanish, Italian and Portuguese variant
Jonathan Hebrew · "Yahweh has given," from the Hebrew Yehonatan; in the Bible the prince whose loyalty to David defined friendship. A steady Anglo-American classic for three centuries that folds warmly to Jon and Johnny without being John
Davi Portuguese · "beloved," the Brazilian Portuguese form of David, from the Hebrew Dawid; the shepherd-king's name in the spelling Brazil made its own, one of the country's most given boy names of the 2010s and 2020s
Names of the same moment
Each of these is at its highest in the 2010s, the same decade as Ian, on a similar curve.
Carson Scottish · Scottish surname of uncertain meaning
Camron Scottish · variant spelling of Cameron, traditionally 'crooked nose'
Tristan Welsh · the knight of the great medieval romance with Isolde; from the Celtic Drustan, its root debated, though medieval storytellers linked it to the French triste, "sad," to fit the tale. Chivalric, melancholy, and modern all at once
Brennan Irish · Irish surname from O Braonain, traditionally linked to 'sorrow' or 'moisture'
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