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• Ian
  Ian

  noun

  a male given name, Scottish form of John.
• -ian
  -ian

  a suffix with the same meaning and properties as -an, though -ian is now the more productive of the two suffixes in recent coinages, especially when the base noun ends in a consonant: Orwellian; Washingtonian .

Ian

¹ American  

[ee-uhn, ee-ahn, ahy-uhn] / ˈi ən, ˈi ɑn, ˈaɪ ən /

noun

1. a male given name, Scottish form of John.

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-ian ² American  

1. a suffix with the same meaning and properties as -an, though -ian is now the more productive of the two suffixes in recent coinages, especially when the base noun ends in a consonant: Orwellian; Washingtonian .

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-ian British  

suffix

1. a variant of -an

   Etonian

   Johnsonian

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Etymology

Origin of -ian

Extracted from Latin loanwords in which -ānus (adjective suffix) is joined to stems ending in i; see -an

Example Sentences

Caitlin's dad Ian praised his daughter's "fighting spirit"

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

She died two days later, surrounded by Grace, along with her brother Ethan, 27, sister Neve, 19, and her parents Jennifer, 54, and Ian, 57.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Ian Katz of Capital Alpha Partners said that while the word “landmark” is being used to describe the housing legislation, the bill is not transformative.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

Former DUP MP Ian Paisley said that five years ago he was approached by a young woman who said she had been "exploited" by Donaldson.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

Had Ian Rider made his way into Dozmary?

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz