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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" and how she "never gave up hope", as well as her "ability to live in the now and not worry about things outside of her control".

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Sam Kennedy, president of the Boston Red Sox, later wrote an open letter, external to SFA president Mike Mulraney and chief executive Ian Maxwell.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 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

That was something else Ian Rider had made sure he’d learned...as soon as his legs were long enough to reach the pedals.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz