UK boy's name
Gian
A masculine given name derived from the Italian form of John.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Gian is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Gian popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1517, with 17 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 19 births.
This profile covers 295 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 89% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 296 living people in the UK are called Gian. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Gian ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 17 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 19 boys were registered as Gian.
- • Gian ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #317 in 1986.
- • About 296 living people in the UK are estimated to have Gian as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1517
2024
Births in 2024
17
Latest year
Peak year
2009
19 births
Estimated living
296
2026
Meaning
What does Gian mean?
The name Gian originates from the Italian language and has its roots in the Latin name Joannes, which is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." The name Gian is a shortened form of the Italian name Giovanni, which is the equivalent of John in English.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gian dates back to the Middle Ages in Italy. It was particularly popular among the Italian nobility and upper classes during the Renaissance period. One of the earliest notable figures with this name was Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first Duke of Milan, who lived from 1351 to 1402.
Another prominent historical figure with the name Gian was Gian Giacomo Paleari, an Italian Protestant reformer and martyr who was burned at the stake in 1566 for his religious beliefs. In the world of art, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the renowned Italian sculptor and architect, is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the Baroque period. He lived from 1598 to 1680.
Moving forward in time, Gian Rinaldo Carli, an Italian economist and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of economics in the 18th century. He was born in 1720 and lived until 1795. Another notable figure was Gian Domenico Romagnosi, an Italian philosopher and jurist who lived from 1761 to 1835 and played a crucial role in the development of legal theory and jurisprudence in Italy.
In more recent history, Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor and filmmaker who gained international recognition for his performances in films such as "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" and "Christ Stopped at Eboli." He lived from 1933 to 1994 and was widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Gian, a name with deep roots in Italian culture and a rich historical legacy.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Gian over time
The chart below shows babies named Gian registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Gian, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 17 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gian by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Gian was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1817 | 65 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2122 | 102 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1805 | 100 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1677 | 28 | 4 |
Geography
Where Gian is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Gian. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Gian ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #317 in 1986.
Across the UK
Gian in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#317 in 1986
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gian
-
Gian Sammarco
actor; television actor; film actor
British actor
1970-
-
Gian M. Fulgoni
entrepreneur; consultant
British businessman
1948-
Related
Names similar to Gian
- George 121,258
- Gabriel 20,581
- Grayson 7,636
- Gregory 2,925
- Guy 2,646
- Gareth 2,092
- Gethin 1,880
- Georgie 1,872
- Gary 1,575
- Gavin 1,422
- Giovanni 1,252
- Grant 1,199
FAQ
Gian: questions and answers
How popular is the name Gian in the UK right now?
In 2024, Gian was ranked #1517 for boys in England and Wales, with 17 births registered.
When was Gian most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 19 babies registered as Gian in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Gian?
A masculine given name derived from the Italian form of John.
How many people are called Gian in the UK?
A total of 295 babies have been registered as Gian across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Gian most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Gian ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #317 in 1986. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.