Alistair
Alistair is a boys' name of Scottish origin meaning “defender of men.” It ranked #897 in the United States in 2025. A Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, derived through the Anglicization of Alasdair.
how do you pronounce Alistair?
AL-ih-stair
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Alistair mean?
The name Alistair means “defender of men.” It comes from the Scottish language tradition.
A Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, derived through the Anglicization of Alasdair. The name has a distinctly Scottish literary and aristocratic character and is associated with a certain old-world intellectual charm.
where does the name Alistair come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Alistair is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic Alasdair, itself a variant of the Norman Alexandre or Latin Alexander, ultimately from Greek Alexandros. Wiktionary glosses the Greek root as to defend plus the stem for man, supporting the defender of men sense given for the name, while Wikipedia offers a second reading of the same Greek elements, to repel and man, as the one who repels men, a warrior name, so the two sources frame the same roots slightly differently.
the history of Alistair
Wikipedia notes Allaster as another Anglicisation of Alasdair alongside Alistair.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #897 |
| 2024 | #909 |
| 2023 | #921 |
| 2022 | #929 |
| 2021 | #902 |
| 2020 | #961 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Alistair?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Alistair?
- Alistair Cooke (journalist and broadcaster)
- Alistair MacLean (novelist)
- Alistair Darling (British politician)
what names are similar to Alistair?
what names go well with Alistair?
Sibling names that share Alistair's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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