[Opinions] Ian or Alan?
Replies
I really like Alan. I'm not sure why, since it's not super interesting, but for some reason I just like it a lot. I also like other spellings of it like Allen and Allan. Ian seems really boring, especially since it's just a form of John. The spelling Iain is kind of cool, but probably leads to a lot of confusion and mispronunciation.
MNs:
Alan Beauregard
Alan Dale
Alan Dawson
Alan Edryd
Alan Emmerich
Alan Emrys
Alan Frederick
Alan Garner
Alan Gray
Alan Finnian
Alan Idris
Alan Iah
Alan Jude
Alan Leonis
Alan Mercer
Alan Millard
Alan Moriarty
Alan Osiris
Alan Percival
Alan Prosper
Alan Ptolemy
Alan Romulus
Alan Shepherd
Alan Ulysses
Alan Westley
Ian Alaric
MNs:
Alan Beauregard
Alan Dale
Alan Dawson
Alan Edryd
Alan Emmerich
Alan Emrys
Alan Frederick
Alan Garner
Alan Gray
Alan Finnian
Alan Idris
Alan Iah
Alan Jude
Alan Leonis
Alan Mercer
Alan Millard
Alan Moriarty
Alan Osiris
Alan Percival
Alan Prosper
Alan Ptolemy
Alan Romulus
Alan Shepherd
Alan Ulysses
Alan Westley
Ian Alaric
Alan because it's my grandpa's name.
both are good, I can't choose. I like them both.
I prefer Alan, though maybe it's a dad name (dated?) right now. I know two who are both in their 30s; one of them is a math professor who dresses like a lumberjack, and the other is a counselor. It sounds warm, easygoing, artistic, and/or unassuming to me.
I've never met an Ian. It sounds British to me (which sort of makes sense if you look at history of popularity rather than current rankings); it also sounds a bit whiny/insubstantial/bland to me yet has somewhat of a scholarly vibe.
Or, put another way, I associate Alan with flannel or corduroy and Ian with tweed.
I've never met an Ian. It sounds British to me (which sort of makes sense if you look at history of popularity rather than current rankings); it also sounds a bit whiny/insubstantial/bland to me yet has somewhat of a scholarly vibe.
Or, put another way, I associate Alan with flannel or corduroy and Ian with tweed.
This message was edited 10/2/2017, 10:37 AM
I like both of them very much - about equally, really. They've both got a steady, strong, low-key vibe that I really appreciate and they've never been over-used.
If I was visiting here from another planet, I might actually prefer Alan, though it would be close. Since I'm a citizen of Earth, it's Ian all the way for personal reasons.
I would have used Ian for my son, actually, but DH's sister had recently divorced a (very nice) Ian so we thought it would be tactless.
If I was visiting here from another planet, I might actually prefer Alan, though it would be close. Since I'm a citizen of Earth, it's Ian all the way for personal reasons.
I would have used Ian for my son, actually, but DH's sister had recently divorced a (very nice) Ian so we thought it would be tactless.
I like Ian much more.
Alan has so much "Al" in it, and Al sounds like older guy, friendly but sort of mediocre. It's a mild name, mild and smooth and reliable. The male version of Ellen? hehe.
Ian sounds more bright and dynamic to me, and I guess it's getting dated, but it's not "old" at this point. It's not as preppy as Sean, but more distinctive than John.
These seem like they might be cliche but:
Ian Cameron
Ian Malcolm
Alan has so much "Al" in it, and Al sounds like older guy, friendly but sort of mediocre. It's a mild name, mild and smooth and reliable. The male version of Ellen? hehe.
Ian sounds more bright and dynamic to me, and I guess it's getting dated, but it's not "old" at this point. It's not as preppy as Sean, but more distinctive than John.
These seem like they might be cliche but:
Ian Cameron
Ian Malcolm
I think I prefer Ian. It just comes across as more relatable. Alan seems more dated and is most often used as a middle name now, though is not a bad name by any means. I have nothing against it.
I knew an Ian whom I went to school with and another one whose name was spelled with an E instead Ean. I absolutely never cared for that spelling
I knew an Ian whom I went to school with and another one whose name was spelled with an E instead Ean. I absolutely never cared for that spelling
I like Alan, or Allen or Allan, a lot, so this isn't a problem.