boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Alistair

Meaning to defend Gender Boy Rank 2025 #897 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

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

Rank 2025
#897
among boys · ↑12 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
265
named Alistair · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,446
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
265 babies
All-time total
4,088
#2,047 all-time among boys
First recorded
1956
in Social Security records

Alistair popularity over time

4,088 babies have been named Alistair since 1956, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 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 – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 7 1 – #3,224
1960s 11 1 +57% #3,608
1970s 96 10 +773% #2,820
1980s 112 11 +17% #3,110
1990s 190 19 +70% #2,797
2000s 449 45 +136% #1,718
2010s 1,722 172 +284% #885
2020s (to 2025) 1,501 250 +45% #897

Where Alistair 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 275 0.16 outside top 500
2027 283 0.17 outside top 500
2028 290 0.17 outside top 500
2029 297 0.17 outside top 500
2030 302 0.18 outside top 500

Where Alistair is most popular

Boys named Alistair per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.148 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Washington, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Alistair born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 42 0.303 +105%
Washington 41 0.251 +70%
Ohio 64 0.241 +64%
Colorado 29 0.225 +52%
Arizona 35 0.214 +45%
Michigan 40 0.195 +32%
Indiana 31 0.193 +31%
North Carolina 46 0.180 +22%
Virginia 32 0.169 +14%
Maryland 20 0.168 +14%
Massachusetts 22 0.160 +8%
Iowa 11 0.160 +8%
Oregon 12 0.158 +7%
California 140 0.153 ≈ national
West Virginia 5 0.153 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 40 0.151 ≈ national
Tennessee 27 0.150 ≈ national
New York 64 0.148 ≈ national
Florida 66 0.139 -6%
Georgia 35 0.138 -6%
Texas 108 0.123 -17%
Idaho 5 0.122 -17%
Kentucky 11 0.110 -26%
Illinois 25 0.098 -34%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -36%
South Carolina 6 0.058 -61%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -62%
Utah 5 0.052 -65%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -67%
Alabama 5 0.046 -69%
New Jersey 8 0.040 -73%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alistair

Alistair is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #897 in 2025 with 265 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1956, 4,088 American babies have been named Alistair. Its peak came in 2025, when 265 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 Alistair stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alistair?

The median living Alistair is about 8 years old; half are between 3 and 14. An estimated 4,000 people named Alistair are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Alistair year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 265 #897
2024 257 #909
2023 250 #921
2022 248 #929
2021 255 #902
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 #1,306
2012 126 #1,346
2011 108 #1,495
2010 81 #1,807
2009 90 #1,718
2008 68 #2,040
2007 71 #1,974
2006 53 #2,349
2005 42 #2,615
2004 31 #3,161
2003 23 #3,735
2002 26 #3,355
2001 21 #3,848
2000 24 #3,425
1995 19 #3,434
1990 10 #5,005
1985 14 #3,219
1980 6 #5,544
1975 10 #3,435
1970 5 #4,743
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Alistair

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

  1. 1 Alistair Overeem Alistair Overeem Dutch mixed martial artist (born 1980) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alistair Darling Alistair Darling British politician (1953–2023) Contemporary
  3. 3 Alistair MacLean Alistair MacLean Scottish writer (1922–1987) Contemporary
  4. 4 Alistair Brownlee Alistair Brownlee English triathlete (born 1988) Contemporary
  5. 5 Alistair Carmichael Alistair Carmichael British politician (born 1965) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alistair?

The median living Alistair is about 8 years old. Half of all living Alistairs are between 3 and 14 years old.

How many people named Alistair are alive today?

An estimated 4,000 people named Alistair are alive in the United States, based on 4,088 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alistair mean?

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”).

How popular is the name Alistair in 2025?

Alistair ranked #897 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 265 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alistair?

4,088 babies have been named Alistair in the United States since 1956, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alistair most popular?

Alistair peaked in 2025, when 265 newborns received the name.

Is Alistair a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Alistair rising or falling?

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

Will Alistair become more popular?

Alistair is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 302 boys named Alistair 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 Alistair?

Well-known people named Alistair include Alistair Overeem (martial arts), Alistair Darling (politician), Alistair MacLean (writer).

Names like Alistair

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

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