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.
This message was edited 10/2/2017, 10:37 AM