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; -an

Example Sentences

La Mirada 5, Servite 3: Ian Aguayo hit a two-run home run for La Mirada.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

No actor in a movie this month is enjoying themselves more than Ian McKellen as an egomaniac painter in Steven Soderbergh’s slender pleasure “The Christophers.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Further talks are expected and Culture Minister Ian Murray has said he is "entirely behind" a proposal to work with comedy to "better understand the opportunities for government intervention".

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

"Missing that penalty stayed with Ian for the rest of his life."

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Ian Rider had told him that he was going to an insurance convention.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz