Alasdair
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AL-as-ter
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,162 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,847 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Alasdair is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “defender of men”. In 2025 it ranked 1,162nd for boys in the UK (27 babies) and 3,847th for boys in the US (28 babies).
What does Alasdair mean?
Greek: Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander
“defender of men”
The Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander and the source of the spellings Alastair and Alistair.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Alasdair a girl's or a boy's name?
Alasdair is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 27 boys in the UK and 28 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Alasdair in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,162nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 27 about 1 in 11,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 27 boys in the UK were named Alasdair, making it the 1,162nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 896th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 141 boys.
2025 had the fewest boys named Alasdair since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Alasdair in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2014. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 147 boys in the UK were given Alasdair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #347, up from #1,162 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,703rd in England and Wales and 298th in Scotland.
Alasdair in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #1,162 |
| 2024 | 33 | #1,003 |
| 2023 | 43 | #827 |
| 2022 | 31 | #1,048 |
| 2021 | 38 | #896 |
| 2020 | 36 | #896 |
| 2019 | 36 | #909 |
| 2018 | 43 | #826 |
| 2017 | 49 | #763 |
| 2016 | 46 | #788 |
| 2015 | 49 | #732 |
| 2014 | 55 | #673 |
| 2013 | 57 | #657 |
| 2012 | 52 | #711 |
| 2011 | 46 | #764 |
| 2010 | 47 | #727 |
| 2009 | 56 | #643 |
| 2008 | 57 | #621 |
| 2007 | 72 | #512 |
| 2006 | 74 | #477 |
| 2005 | 57 | #531 |
| 2004 | 55 | #525 |
| 2003 | 58 | #472 |
| 2002 | 70 | #385 |
| 2001 | 67 | #399 |
| 2000 | 105 | #296 |
| 1999 | 98 | #314 |
| 1998 | 114 | #276 |
| 1997 | 141 | #246 |
| 1996 | 137 | #247 |
How popular is Alasdair in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,847th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 28 about 1 in 61,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 40% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 28 boys in the US were named Alasdair, making it the 3,847th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,536th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 37 boys. It first appears in the records in 1989.
Half of all the boys named Alasdair in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 378 boys in the US were given Alasdair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #671, up from #3,847 for this spelling alone.
Alasdair in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28 | #3,847 |
| 2024 | 30 | #3,691 |
| 2023 | 30 | #3,710 |
| 2022 | 21 | #4,697 |
| 2021 | 37 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 21 | #4,536 |
| 2019 | 19 | #4,947 |
| 2018 | 23 | #4,350 |
| 2017 | 21 | #4,590 |
| 2016 | 22 | #4,469 |
| 2015 | 36 | #3,148 |
| 2014 | 29 | #3,615 |
| 2013 | 20 | #4,619 |
| 2012 | 17 | #5,250 |
| 2011 | 23 | #4,219 |
| 2010 | 15 | #5,737 |
| 2009 | 17 | #5,332 |
| 2008 | 8 | #9,013 |
| 2007 | 19 | #4,806 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 5 | #11,464 |
| 2004 | 10 | #6,970 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 8 | #7,636 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,409 |
| 1999 | 9 | #6,524 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 10 | #5,636 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 5 | #8,426 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 8 | #5,816 |
| 1989 | 5 | #7,898 |
Nicknames for Alasdair
Names like Alasdair
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Abdullah, Hamza, Abubakr, Amir, Musa, Uzair, Ibrahim, Arham, Umar, Huzaifa, Mustafa
Other spellings of Alasdair
Names related to Alasdair
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Alasdair: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/alasdair, updated 20 October 2026.