Alistair
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- AL-is-ter
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #496 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #897 for boys
Alistair is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “defender of men”. In 2025 it ranked 496th for boys in the UK (87 babies) and 897th for boys in the US (265 babies).
What does Alistair 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 Alistair a girl's or a boy's name?
Alistair is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 87 boys in the UK and 265 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Alistair in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 496th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 87 about 1 in 3,400 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 87 boys in the UK were named Alistair, making it the 496th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 429th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 408 boys.
Half of all the boys named Alistair 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 Alistair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #347, up from #496 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 517th in England and Wales and 298th in Scotland.
Alistair in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 87 | #496 |
| 2024 | 86 | #511 |
| 2023 | 88 | #505 |
| 2022 | 89 | #497 |
| 2021 | 82 | #535 |
| 2020 | 106 | #429 |
| 2019 | 109 | #436 |
| 2018 | 103 | #448 |
| 2017 | 133 | #386 |
| 2016 | 129 | #389 |
| 2015 | 133 | #381 |
| 2014 | 144 | #350 |
| 2013 | 149 | #325 |
| 2012 | 159 | #323 |
| 2011 | 148 | #334 |
| 2010 | 133 | #355 |
| 2009 | 140 | #324 |
| 2008 | 162 | #289 |
| 2007 | 172 | #263 |
| 2006 | 173 | #245 |
| 2005 | 141 | #269 |
| 2004 | 189 | #216 |
| 2003 | 184 | #213 |
| 2002 | 162 | #222 |
| 2001 | 190 | #193 |
| 2000 | 215 | #179 |
| 1999 | 251 | #155 |
| 1998 | 330 | #138 |
| 1997 | 327 | #137 |
| 1996 | 408 | #120 |
How popular is Alistair in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 897th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 265 about 1 in 6,400 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 265 boys in the US were named Alistair, making it the 897th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 961st. It first appears in the records in 1956.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most boys named Alistair of any year since it first appeared, in 1956.
Half of all the boys named Alistair in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 378 boys in the US were given Alistair or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #671, up from #897 for this spelling alone.
Alistair in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 265 | #897 |
| 2024 | 257 | #909 |
| 2023 | 250 | #921 |
| 2022 | 248 | #929 |
| 2021 | 255 | #901 |
| 2020 | 226 | #961 |
| 2019 | 221 | #968 |
| 2018 | 205 | #1,009 |
| 2017 | 225 | #929 |
| 2016 | 247 | #885 |
| 2015 | 198 | #1,023 |
| 2014 | 179 | #1,080 |
| 2013 | 132 | #1,305 |
| 2012 | 126 | #1,346 |
| 2011 | 108 | #1,495 |
| 2010 | 81 | #1,805 |
| 2009 | 90 | #1,716 |
| 2008 | 68 | #2,038 |
| 2007 | 71 | #1,972 |
| 2006 | 53 | #2,347 |
| 2005 | 42 | #2,610 |
| 2004 | 31 | #3,154 |
| 2003 | 23 | #3,727 |
| 2002 | 26 | #3,344 |
| 2001 | 21 | #3,837 |
| 2000 | 24 | #3,417 |
| 1999 | 30 | #2,791 |
| 1998 | 18 | #3,845 |
| 1997 | 12 | #4,954 |
| 1996 | 23 | #3,102 |
| 1995 | 19 | #3,426 |
| 1994 | 25 | #2,842 |
| 1993 | 20 | #3,240 |
| 1992 | 12 | #4,556 |
| 1991 | 21 | #2,983 |
| 1990 | 10 | #4,986 |
| 1989 | 16 | #3,440 |
| 1988 | 12 | #3,910 |
| 1987 | 10 | #4,233 |
| 1986 | 13 | #3,437 |
| 1985 | 14 | #3,213 |
| 1984 | 14 | #3,105 |
| 1983 | 8 | #4,497 |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
| 1981 | 13 | #3,219 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 9 | #4,066 |
| 1978 | 6 | #5,056 |
| 1977 | 14 | #2,909 |
| 1976 | 9 | #3,722 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 11 | #3,118 |
| 1973 | 9 | #3,443 |
| 1972 | 11 | #2,989 |
| 1971 | 12 | #2,811 |
| 1970 | 5 | #4,722 |
| 1969 | 5 | #4,403 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 6 | #3,600 |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 7 | #3,214 |
Nicknames for Alistair
Names like Alistair
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Abdullah, Muhammad, Alexander, Amir, Hamza, Ibrahim, Liam, Musa, Umar, Ahmed, Mustafa, Ammar
Other spellings of Alistair
Names related to Alistair
More Greek names
Luca, Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris
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, “Alistair: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/alistair, updated 20 October 2026.