Names Ending in -ian for Boys

Both Christian and Cristian rank in the US Top 500 names for boys, and while the classic "Ch" spelling is used more than four times as often, Cristian is still given to more than 1000 boys each year, and is often used in the Hispanic community.

Wian, oe of the most popular of all Afrikaans names, has seldom been heard outside South Africa. It would doubtless prompt countless pronunciation issues, but might just be warm and friendly enough to be worth it.

Traian derives from Traianus, a Roman emperor and military genius who conquered ancient Dacia, which corresponds to modern-day Romania and Moldova. Popular a generation ago, Traian is best known throughout the wider world via the presidency of Traian Basescu.

A few possible explanations for this name: It could be a creative spelling of Million, an elaborated variant of Milan or a reference to singer Christina Milian. We'll leave it up to you whether those are winning inspirations for a baby name.

In France, Lilian is the masculine form of Liliane or Lilianne, and has been surprisingly popular there in recent years. In the Top 500 since the 1930s, Lilian reached a peak of #60 for boys in France in 2006.

Popular in Norway, an interesting choice for anyone with northern European roots.

Romanian form of Stylianos, the name of a 7th-century hermit from Adrianopolis in Asia Minor who is regarded as a patron saint of children.

Kordian was created by Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki for his eponymous romantic hero, based on Latin cor, cordis "heart". Cordian is the Anglicized form.

Dacia was an ancient region comprised of what is modern Romania and Moldova and smaller parts of other Eastern European countries. Its inhabitants were called the Dacians, and the Dacian Kingdom flourished around the time of Christ until it was toppled by the Romans. Daciana is the female version sometimes used in Romania.

Arcadia was a region of Ancient Greece that is now associated with a simple rustic life (way before Cottagecore was a thing). That means this name is not just long and lyrical, but also has a warm pastoral charm.

Medieval German form of George

This bold name may derive either from Latin vesper "west, evening" or vespa "wasp". It was borne by a 1st-century Roman emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.

David plus Damian (or David plus Ian or David plus Darrian) equals this hybrid name. It has been in and out of the US Top 1000 since 2004, though both this spelling and alternative Davion were out of favor in 2023. Davian Clarke is a Jamaican Olympic athlete.

Ancient Irish saint's name that's unlikely, because of its similarity to "ninny," to join cousin Finian in popularity.

Sabian is a relative of Sabin and Sabina, both referring to the Sabines, an ancient Italian people. Sabin is also a Quranic name of one of the "People of the Book". About a dozen baby boys were named Sabin and another dozen named Sabian in the US last year, making it a rare name with historic roots.

Variation of Christian.

Created by the Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki in 1833 for his eponymous romantic hero, Kordian has been in rare use in Poland since. Słowacki based the name on the Latin cor or cordis, meaning "heart", making this an excellent rare choice for a baby born around Valentine's Day.