What does "ian" mean?

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Eòin, equivalent to English John.

Ian

Common synonyms include: derivational suffix, forename, given name, male name, suffix form, suffix morpheme.

/ˈiː.ən/ name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Proper Noun

1
A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Eòin, equivalent to English John.
"“If you want a Scotch name why don’t you call him Jock?” Macgregor looked disgusted. “Because Jock is not a name, but a diminutive, as everybody knows well. It is the diminutive of John. And John is not a Scots name. The Scots form of that name is Ian. If you want to call him Ian Fetch, I shall say no more”."

"I wish I could play the flute as well as Ian Anderson."

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic Eòin.