Head to head · Boys' names
August vs Ian
#81 vs #83 in 2025
August is a whisker ahead (#81 vs #83 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: August is back after a long quiet spell, Ian is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, August leads 4 measures of 6; Ian leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: August #82, Ian — — August higher
- 1890s: August #105, Ian — — August higher
- 1900s: August #160, Ian — — August higher
- 1910s: August #182, Ian #2198 — August higher
- 1920s: August #245, Ian #1813 — August higher
- 1930s: August #309, Ian #979 — August higher
- 1940s: August #400, Ian #746 — August higher
- 1950s: August #541, Ian #577 — August higher
- 1960s: August #693, Ian #373 — Ian higher
- 1970s: August #812, Ian #156 — Ian higher
- 1980s: August #850, Ian #83 — Ian higher
- 1990s: August #731, Ian #71 — Ian higher
- 2000s: August #602, Ian #72 — Ian higher
- 2010s: August #263, Ian #77 — Ian higher
- 2020s: August #110, Ian #77 — Ian higher
August stood higher in 8 of 15 decades; Ian has held the lead since the 1960s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | August | Ian |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #82 | — |
| 1890s | #105 | — |
| 1900s | #160 | — |
| 1910s | #182 | #2198 |
| 1920s | #245 | #1813 |
| 1930s | #309 | #979 |
| 1940s | #400 | #746 |
| 1950s | #541 | #577 |
| 1960s | #693 | #373 |
| 1970s | #812 | #156 |
| 1980s | #850 | #83 |
| 1990s | #731 | #71 |
| 2000s | #602 | #72 |
| 2010s | #263 | #77 |
| 2020s | #110 | #77 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
August
Venerable, majestic, exalted
From Latin augustus, an adjective of dignity connected to augere, 'to increase'. The eighth month takes its name from the same source.
augustus (Latin, 'venerable') → Augustus → August → Augusta
How it traveled
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus in 27 BC, and the word — until then an adjective meaning venerable or consecrated — became a name and then an imperial style. Later emperors kept it, medieval clergy inherited it through saints named Augustine and Augustus, and continental Europe trimmed it down: German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian all settled on plain August.
Ian
"Yahweh is gracious"
Ian carries the meaning of John, from the Hebrew name Yohanan.
Yohanan → Ioannes → Iohannes → Iain → Ian
How it traveled
The Hebrew Yohanan passed into Greek as Ioannes and into Latin as Iohannes, from which nearly every European form of John descends. In Scottish Gaelic it settled as Iain, and Ian is that Gaelic name written for English speakers.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
August
AW-gust
Stress lands on the first syllable, exactly as in the month. The English adjective 'august' stresses the second (aw-GUST), which occasionally causes a moment's hesitation from readers meeting the name in print. German speakers say ow-GOOST.
- Gus — The most established short form, shared with Augustus and Gustav, and long used as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Auggie — Informal and mostly used with children; common in American families now.
- Augie — The older American spelling of the same nickname, more familiar to earlier generations.
- Gussie — An affectionate older form, used historically for both Augustus and Augusta.
Ian
EE-un
Two syllables, stress on the first. A first-time reader occasionally tries EYE-an, and some bearers in the US answer to that quite happily; the Scottish pronunciation is EE-un.
Who has carried each name
August
August Wilson (b. 1945) — Pulitzer-winning playwright of Fences
August Strindberg (b. 1849) — Father of modern Swedish drama
August Möbius (b. 1790) — The mathematician of the Möbius strip
Ian
Ian Fleming (b. 1908) — Created James Bond
Ian McKellen (b. 1939) — Gandalf himself
Ian Somerhalder (b. 1978) — The Vampire Diaries star
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose August if you want…
- a name on the way upup 74 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Gus, Auggie and Augie
- a long American recordAugust was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Ian if you want…
- a name holding steadyIan is holding its place on the charts
- a name that stays wholeno recorded short form for Ian
- a newer arrivalIan entered the US charts in 1912
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
August
Strengths
- A spelling nobody has to be taught — it appears on every calendar and needs no repeating over the phone.
- Two ready-made short forms with centuries of use behind them: Gus and Auggie.
- The same spelling works in German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, so it travels without adjustment.
To consider
- It is a month, and people will ask whether the baby was born in it. Fine either way, but the question will come up more than once.
- The English word 'august' shifts its stress to the second syllable, so expect the occasional first-time mispronunciation from someone reading it rather than hearing it.
- For a girl, this exact spelling is heavily outnumbered by the boys, so forms and rosters will often assume a boy. Augusta and Augustine are the traditionally feminine relatives if that matters to you.
Ian
Strengths
- Short, spelled as it sounds, and hard to misspell once heard — three letters with no silent parts.
- Belongs to the John family, so it has recognizable cousins in most European languages: Iain, Eoin, Ioan, Ivan, Juan.
- A documented line running from Hebrew through Greek and Latin to Gaelic, with no gaps to guess at.
To consider
- It is already about as short as a name gets, so there is no built-in nickname. Anyone wanting one usually invents it.
- The Gaelic spelling Iain and the pronunciation EYE-an both circulate, so expect an occasional check on which you mean.
- Written quickly by hand, Ian can be read as lan or Jan — a small, lifelong annoyance rather than a real problem.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear August and Ian in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between August and Ian?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Distinctly American names
- America's top 100 names right now
- Vowel names: soft starts from A to O
- all guides
Every list here names both August and Ian — the same style, ranked by the same records.
August or Ian — the short answers
- Which is more popular, August or Ian?
- August, in 2025: August ranked #81 with 3,958 babies; Ian ranked #83 with 3,924 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, August or Ian?
- August. Over the last five years August moved up 74 places; Ian is holding its place on the charts.
- Which is the older name, August or Ian?
- August was already in use when US records began in 1880; Ian entered the US charts in 1912. On the American record, August is the older name.
- How many people are named August and Ian?
- About 48,000 people named August are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 249,000 people named Ian are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Augusts or Ians in the classroom?
- August will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ian will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up August, Ian and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap