Alistair

Boy name

Alistair has been given to 4,088 babies in the U.S. since 1956. It peaked in 2025 and currently ranks #897 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈæl.ɪ.stɚ/

From Scottish Gaelic Alasdair, from Norman Alexandre or Latin Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros), from ἀλέξω (aléxō, “to defend”) + ἀνδρ- (andr-), the stem of ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”).

Origin: Scottish Gaelic

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

4,088

Peak year

2025 (265 babies)

Rank in 2025

#897 for boys

First recorded

1956

10-year trend

▲ +34%

Gender split

All boys

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Alistair.

Tylanboy

4,088 babies since 1962

Cillianboy

4,090 babies since 1995

Canyonboy

4,086 babies since 1972

Cedarunisex

4,091 babies since 1972

Kyrenboy

4,085 babies since 1990

Marlowunisex

4,096 babies since 1910

Ignatiusboy

4,075 babies since 1885

Nikolaboy

4,102 babies since 1948

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