UK boy's name
Alistair
Alistair is an ancient Scottish name meaning "protector" or "defender of man".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Alistair is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Alistair popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #545, with 70 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 294 births.
This profile covers 3,525 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 24% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 7,445 living people in the UK are called Alistair. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Alistair ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 70 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 294 boys were registered as Alistair.
- • Alistair ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #246 in 2024.
- • About 7,445 living people in the UK are estimated to have Alistair as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#545
2024
Births in 2024
70
Latest year
Peak year
1996
294 births
Estimated living
7,445
2026
Meaning
What does Alistair mean?
The name Alistair originates from the Scottish Gaelic name Alasdair, which is derived from the Greek name Alexander, meaning "defender of men." The name has its roots in ancient Greek culture and mythology, where Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian king, was given this name at birth.
The name Alistair first appeared in Scotland during the Middle Ages, as a Scottish variant of the name Alexander. It was particularly popular among Scottish clans and families with strong Gaelic heritage and traditions. The spelling "Alistair" emerged as a distinct Scottish form, separate from the English "Alexander."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Alistair can be found in the medieval Scottish text "The Book of Deer," dating back to the 9th or 10th century. This ancient manuscript contains the first known written reference to the name in its Gaelic form, "Alasdair."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Alistair. One of the most famous was Alistair Crowley (1875-1947), an English occultist, writer, and ceremonial magician, who was a prominent figure in the early 20th century occult revival. Another well-known Alistair was Alistair Cooke (1908-2004), a renowned British-American journalist and broadcaster, best known for his long-running radio program "Letter from America."
In the literary world, Alistair MacLean (1922-1987) was a bestselling Scottish novelist who wrote popular adventure and war stories, including "The Guns of Navarone" and "Where Eagles Dare." Alistair Sim (1900-1976) was a Scottish actor known for his memorable performances in films like "Scrooge" and "The Green Man."
Alistair Darling (born 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010 under Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government.
The name Alistair has a rich heritage and historical significance, deeply rooted in Scottish Gaelic culture and ancient Greek mythology. Its enduring popularity over the centuries is a testament to its unique and distinctive character.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Alistair over time
The chart below shows babies named Alistair registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Alistair, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 70 births in 2024, compared with 294 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alistair by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Alistair was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #531 | 365 | 5 |
| 2010s | #414 | 994 | 10 |
| 2000s | #287 | 1,210 | 10 |
| 1990s | #153 | 956 | 4 |
Geography
Where Alistair is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Alistair. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Alistair ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #246 in 2024.
Across the UK
Alistair in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#246 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 3,995 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#365 in 2019
13 years of NISRA records, 49 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Alistair
-
Alistair Smith
association football player
English association football player (born 1999)
1999-
-
Alistair Roy
association football player
Scottish footballer (born 1997)
1997-
-
Alistair Slater
sport cyclist
British bicycle racer
1993-
-
Alistair Strathern
politician; council member; mathematics teacher
British politician (born 1990)
1990-
-
Alistair Slowe
association football player
association football player (born 1988)
1988-
-
Alistair Tapp
cricketer
English cricketer (born 1964)
1964-
-
Alistair Sperring
association football player
association football player
1963-
-
Alistair Spalding
theatre manager; talent manager
British theatre executive
1957-
Related
Names similar to Alistair
- Alfie 86,546
- Alexander 85,525
- Adam 71,855
- Archie 59,965
- Arthur 43,586
- Aaron 36,366
- Alex 32,729
- Andrew 20,169
- Arlo 19,061
- Aidan 16,776
- Albie 16,017
- Albert 15,809
FAQ
Alistair: questions and answers
How popular is the name Alistair in the UK right now?
In 2024, Alistair was ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales, with 70 births registered.
When was Alistair most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 294 babies registered as Alistair in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Alistair?
Alistair is an ancient Scottish name meaning "protector" or "defender of man".
How many people are called Alistair in the UK?
A total of 3,525 babies have been registered as Alistair across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3,995 more in Scotland and 49 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Alistair most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Alistair ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #246 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.