UK boy's name
Allister
Scottish and Irish name of uncertain meaning, possibly from Alexandria.
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.
Allister is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Allister popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 9 births.
This profile covers 81 England and Wales registrations across 17 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 33% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 164 living people in the UK are called Allister. 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
- • Allister ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 9 boys were registered as Allister.
- • Allister ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #307 in 2005.
- • About 164 living people in the UK are estimated to have Allister as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
1996
9 births
Estimated living
164
2026
Meaning
What does Allister mean?
The name Allister is derived from the Gaelic name Alasdair, which is the Scottish Gaelic form of the name Alexander. The name Alexander is of Greek origin, derived from the elements "alexein" meaning "to defend" and "aner" meaning "man." The name was popularized by the famous Macedonian king Alexander the Great, who lived from 356 BC to 323 BC.
The name Allister first appeared in Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages, and it was a common name among Scottish clans and Irish families. The earliest recorded example of the name Allister dates back to the 13th century, when an Allister of Argyll was mentioned in the Scottish records.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Allister was Allister Mackenzie, a Scottish military leader who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English in the 14th century. Another famous Allister was Allister Croke, an Irish politician and judge who lived in the 16th century and was a prominent figure in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
In the 17th century, Allister Macdonald was a Scottish Jacobite who fought in the Jacobite Rising of 1689. He was captured and executed for his role in the uprising. Allister Grant, a Scottish laird who lived in the 18th century, was known for his contributions to the development of the Scottish Highlands.
In the 19th century, Allister Forbes was a British writer and poet who was born in 1838 and died in 1903. He was known for his works celebrating Scottish culture and history. Allister Macmillan, born in 1870 and died in 1952, was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Macmillan publishing company.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Allister, a name with a rich cultural heritage rooted in the Scottish and Irish traditions.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Allister over time
The chart below shows babies named Allister 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 Allister, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Allister by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Allister 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 | #4116 | 9 | 2 |
| 2010s | #3995 | 24 | 6 |
| 2000s | #2880 | 30 | 6 |
| 1990s | #2000 | 18 | 3 |
Geography
Where Allister is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Allister. 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.
Allister ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #307 in 2005.
Across the UK
Allister in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#687 in 2013
19 years of NRS records, 80 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#307 in 2005
2 years of NISRA records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Allister
-
Allister Whitehead
disc jockey
musical artist
2000-
-
Allister Hogg
rugby union player
Scottish rugby union player
1983-
-
Allister Brimble
composer
video game music composer
1970-
-
Allister Hutton
marathon runner
British athlete
1954-
-
Allister Bowtell
visual artist
1940-2006
-
Allister Colvin Baillie
military engineer
1 Apr 1896 - 14 Jun 1971
1896-1971
-
Allister Kyle
candidate in the 2024 United Kingdom general election
Related
Names similar to Allister
- 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
Allister: questions and answers
How popular is the name Allister in the UK right now?
In 2024, Allister was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Allister most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 9 babies registered as Allister in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Allister?
Scottish and Irish name of uncertain meaning, possibly from Alexandria.
How many people are called Allister in the UK?
A total of 81 babies have been registered as Allister across the 17 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 80 more in Scotland and 6 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Allister most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Allister ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #307 in 2005. 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.