Hi, Amy, Ian is the Gaelic form of the name John. Mor is the Gaelic word for big. In small communities these nicknames are used to distinguish people with the same names. Other common adjectives include beg(little), ruadh(red, usually referring to hair color), dubh(black), Ban (white or fair) and buidh (yellow. This was heard by English speakers as "boy" hence the many Irish and Highlanders referred to as "boy"e.g. "Sorley Boy" MacDonald. This tradition persists in the mountains of E. Kentucky where for instance there is a man called "Red Sam "Morgan to distinguish him from his cousin, "Black Sam" Morgan. Hope this is helpful. Regards, Nicole May njmay@aol.com