Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Alastair

Meaning Alexander Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,147 Trend ↑ Rising 30%

From Scottish Gaelic Alasdair (“Alexander”).

Rank 2025
#2,147
among boys · ↑225 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
67
named Alastair · +14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 25,494
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
67 babies
All-time total
1,364
#4,216 all-time among boys
First recorded
1922
in Social Security records

Alastair popularity over time

1,364 babies have been named Alastair since 1922, 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
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

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 17 2 – #3,250
1930s – – – –
1940s 6 1 – #3,321
1950s – – – –
1960s 10 1 – #4,043
1970s 48 5 +380% #3,283
1980s 145 15 +202% #2,290
1990s 152 15 +5% #3,003
2000s 230 23 +51% #3,026
2010s 420 42 +83% #2,187
2020s (to 2025) 336 56 +33% #2,147

Where Alastair 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 70 0.04 outside top 500
2027 72 0.04 outside top 500
2028 75 0.04 outside top 500
2029 77 0.04 outside top 500
2030 78 0.05 outside top 500

The story of Alastair

Alastair is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,147 in 2025 with 67 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1922, 1,364 American babies have been named Alastair. Its peak came in 2025, when 67 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 Alastair stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alastair?

The median living Alastair is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 26. An estimated 1,300 people named Alastair are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Alastair year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 67 #2,147
2024 59 #2,372
2023 60 #2,315
2022 50 #2,649
2021 61 #2,277
2020 39 #2,980
2019 62 #2,231
2018 46 #2,676
2017 61 #2,187
2016 50 #2,518
2015 47 #2,600
2014 36 #3,091
2013 28 #3,665
2012 38 #3,005
2011 27 #3,795
2010 25 #3,997
2009 33 #3,335
2008 37 #3,105
2007 29 #3,594
2006 36 #3,026
2005 24 #3,818
2004 18 #4,607
2003 13 #5,566
2002 13 #5,405
2001 14 #5,146
2000 13 #5,302
1995 17 #3,696
1990 13 #4,173
1985 14 #3,217
1980 8 #4,509
1975 – –
1970 9 #3,283
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 5 #4,201
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Alastair

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

  1. 1 Alastair Sim Alastair Sim Scottish actor (1900–1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alastair Reynolds Alastair Reynolds Welsh science fiction author (born 1966) Contemporary
  3. 3 Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Member of the British royal family (1914–1943) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alastair?

The median living Alastair is about 12 years old. Half of all living Alastairs are between 5 and 26 years old.

How many people named Alastair are alive today?

An estimated 1,300 people named Alastair are alive in the United States, based on 1,364 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alastair mean?

From Scottish Gaelic Alasdair (“Alexander”).

How popular is the name Alastair in 2025?

Alastair ranked #2,147 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 67 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alastair?

1,364 babies have been named Alastair in the United States since 1922, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alastair most popular?

Alastair peaked in 2025, when 67 newborns received the name.

Is Alastair a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Alastair rising or falling?

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

Will Alastair become more popular?

Alastair is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 78 boys named Alastair 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 Alastair?

Well-known people named Alastair include Alastair Sim (actor), Alastair Reynolds (writer), Alastair Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (nobleman).

Names like Alastair

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

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