Alastair
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AL-as-ter
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,008 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,145 for boys
- Style
- Big in Scotland
Alastair is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “defender of men”. In 2025 it ranked 1,008th for boys in the UK (33 babies) and 2,145th for boys in the US (67 babies).
What does Alastair mean?
Greek: anglicised form of Scottish Gaelic Alasdair, from Alexander
“defender of men”
An English spelling of Alasdair, the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Alastair a girl's or a boy's name?
Alastair is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 33 boys in the UK and 67 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Alastair in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,008th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 33 about 1 in 9,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 33 boys in the UK were named Alastair, making it the 1,008th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,078th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 212 boys.
Half of all the boys named Alastair in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2012. 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 Alastair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #347, up from #1,008 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,153rd in England and Wales and 400th in Scotland.
Alastair in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #1,008 |
| 2024 | 25 | #1,198 |
| 2023 | 18 | #1,507 |
| 2022 | 31 | #1,048 |
| 2021 | 37 | #909 |
| 2020 | 28 | #1,078 |
| 2019 | 46 | #773 |
| 2018 | 36 | #919 |
| 2017 | 54 | #717 |
| 2016 | 47 | #779 |
| 2015 | 48 | #747 |
| 2014 | 50 | #719 |
| 2013 | 55 | #676 |
| 2012 | 61 | #634 |
| 2011 | 57 | #660 |
| 2010 | 59 | #630 |
| 2009 | 60 | #606 |
| 2008 | 65 | #570 |
| 2007 | 77 | #492 |
| 2006 | 92 | #413 |
| 2005 | 83 | #403 |
| 2004 | 82 | #384 |
| 2003 | 79 | #374 |
| 2002 | 89 | #329 |
| 2001 | 117 | #271 |
| 2000 | 106 | #294 |
| 1999 | 142 | #234 |
| 1998 | 167 | #220 |
| 1997 | 155 | #232 |
| 1996 | 212 | #173 |
How popular is Alastair in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,145th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 67 about 1 in 25,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 27% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 67 boys in the US were named Alastair, making it the 2,145th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,979th. It first appears in the records in 1922.
2025 had the most boys named Alastair of any year since it first appeared, in 1922.
Half of all the boys named Alastair in the US since 1880 were born between 1997 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 378 boys in the US were given Alastair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #671, up from #2,145 for this spelling alone.
Alastair in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 | #2,145 |
| 2024 | 59 | #2,370 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,314 |
| 2022 | 50 | #2,647 |
| 2021 | 61 | #2,276 |
| 2020 | 39 | #2,979 |
| 2019 | 62 | #2,227 |
| 2018 | 46 | #2,673 |
| 2017 | 61 | #2,185 |
| 2016 | 50 | #2,518 |
| 2015 | 47 | #2,599 |
| 2014 | 36 | #3,088 |
| 2013 | 28 | #3,659 |
| 2012 | 38 | #3,000 |
| 2011 | 27 | #3,790 |
| 2010 | 25 | #3,993 |
| 2009 | 33 | #3,330 |
| 2008 | 37 | #3,101 |
| 2007 | 29 | #3,589 |
| 2006 | 36 | #3,023 |
| 2005 | 24 | #3,811 |
| 2004 | 18 | #4,597 |
| 2003 | 13 | #5,551 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,388 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5,135 |
| 2000 | 13 | #5,290 |
| 1999 | 15 | #4,531 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 17 | #3,872 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 17 | #3,687 |
| 1994 | 11 | #5,103 |
| 1993 | 16 | #3,812 |
| 1992 | 22 | #2,993 |
| 1991 | 14 | #3,998 |
| 1990 | 13 | #4,161 |
| 1989 | 18 | #3,199 |
| 1988 | 20 | #2,760 |
| 1987 | 19 | #2,721 |
| 1986 | 24 | #2,288 |
| 1985 | 14 | #3,213 |
| 1984 | 12 | #3,457 |
| 1983 | 6 | #5,481 |
| 1982 | 10 | #3,964 |
| 1981 | 14 | #3,028 |
| 1980 | 8 | #4,493 |
| 1979 | 6 | #5,353 |
| 1978 | 6 | #5,056 |
| 1977 | 8 | #4,162 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 6 | #4,632 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 8 | #3,620 |
| 1971 | 5 | #4,905 |
| 1970 | 9 | #3,280 |
| 1969 | 5 | #4,403 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 5 | #4,031 |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 6 | #3,315 |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 7 | #3,245 |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 5 | #4,195 |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 5 | #4,305 |
Nicknames for Alastair
Names like Alastair
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Abdullah, Hamza, Amir, Ibrahim, Ahmed, Mustafa, Musa, Umar, Abubakr, Uzair, Abdulrahman
Other spellings of Alastair
Names related to Alastair
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, “Alastair: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/alastair, updated 20 October 2026.