Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2021

Alasdair

Meaning A male given name from Scottish Gaelic Gender Boy Rank 2025 #3,850 Trend ↑ Rising 42%

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic.

Rank 2025
#3,850
among boys · ↓153 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
28
named Alasdair · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 61,003
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
37 babies
All-time total
525
#7,677 all-time among boys
First recorded
1989
in Social Security records

Alasdair popularity over time

525 babies have been named Alasdair since 1989, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0318801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2021Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s – – – –
1980s 5 1 – #7,935
1990s 43 4 +760% #5,651
2000s 85 9 +98% #4,816
2010s 225 23 +165% #3,153
2020s (to 2025) 167 28 +24% #3,181

Where Alasdair is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 29 0.02 outside top 500
2027 31 0.02 outside top 500
2028 32 0.02 outside top 500
2029 33 0.02 outside top 500
2030 34 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Alasdair

Alasdair is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,850 in 2025 with 28 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1989, 525 American babies have been named Alasdair. Its peak came in 2021, when 37 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alasdair stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alasdair?

The median living Alasdair is about 10 years old; half are between 4 and 16. An estimated 500 people named Alasdair are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alasdair year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 28 #3,850
2024 30 #3,697
2023 30 #3,714
2022 21 #4,708
2021 37 #3,181
2020 21 #4,545
2019 19 #4,963
2018 23 #4,358
2017 21 #4,598
2016 22 #4,473
2015 36 #3,153
2014 29 #3,619
2013 20 #4,626
2012 17 #5,259
2011 23 #4,227
2010 15 #5,747
2009 17 #5,339
2008 8 #9,037
2007 19 #4,816
2006 10 #7,441
2005 5 #11,522
2004 10 #6,990
2003 – –
2002 8 #7,665
2001 – –
2000 8 #7,442
1995 – –
1990 8 #5,837
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Alasdair

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alasdair MacIntyre Alasdair MacIntyre Scottish-American philosopher (1929–2025) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alasdair Gray Alasdair Gray Scottish writer and artist (1934–2019) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alasdair, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alasdair?

The median living Alasdair is about 10 years old. Half of all living Alasdairs are between 4 and 16 years old.

How many people named Alasdair are alive today?

An estimated 500 people named Alasdair are alive in the United States, based on 525 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alasdair mean?

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic.

How popular is the name Alasdair in 2025?

Alasdair ranked #3,850 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 28 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alasdair?

525 babies have been named Alasdair in the United States since 1989, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alasdair most popular?

Alasdair peaked in 2021, when 37 newborns received the name.

Is Alasdair a boy or girl name?

Alasdair is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alasdair rising or falling?

Alasdair is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alasdair become more popular?

Alasdair is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 34 boys named Alasdair in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alasdair?

Well-known people named Alasdair include Alasdair MacIntyre (philosopher), Alasdair Gray (writer).

Names like Alasdair

Names that sound and feel close to Alasdair: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alasdair with similar names → More names starting with A →