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Iain

boy name
Origin
Scottish Gaelic
Syllables
2
Peak era
2000s/2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Iain and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

the Scottish Gaelic form of John

The story

Read the story of John →

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How popular is Iain around the world?

In the United States, 155 babies were named Iain between 2020 and 2025. In Scotland, 3 boys named Iain were registered in 2024, the 727th most common name among boys that year.

Iain is on the official records of the United States, Scotland, Mexico City and Spain.

United States

1 in 140,000

In the United States, 155 babies were named Iain between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2000s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Iain peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Scotland

1 in 15,000

In Scotland, 3 boys named Iain were registered in 2024, the 727th most common name among boys that year.

peak 19772024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Mexico City City

1 in 120,000

In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Iain in 2022.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Spain

1 in 800,000

In Spain, 56 residents are named Iain, ranked 13,210th among men, with a mean age of 50.7 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

last on record 2020

Iain is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Austria

last on record 2024

Iain is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Canada

last on record 2022

Iain is not on the 2024 record for Canada, where names under 5 in a year are excluded at source.

peak 19922024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

last on record 2021

Iain is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.

peak 19962025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Ireland

last on record 2011

Iain is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.

1964peak 19952025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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New Zealand

last on record 1992

Iain is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1940peak 19662025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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South Australia

last on record 2005

Iain is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Iain

Most people given the name Iain in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Iain

Alasdair Cameron Elijah Jonathan Oliver Dominic

Keep exploring

Short names

The Iain deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Iain truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Iain fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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