Alister
Alistair is a male given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name Alasdair. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman name Alexandre or the Latin name Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the same form as Alexander.
Meaning & Origin of Alister
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Alistair is a male given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name Alasdair. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman name Alexandre or the Latin name Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the same form as Alexander.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Alister
Alister first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1924, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 140 Alisters were born — ranking #1,340 that year. As of 2026, Alister ranks #1,601 for baby boys with 107 births, gradually rising (+13%). In total, more than 2K Alisters have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Alister
Phonetically similar names — useful when Alister is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alister
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About the name Alister
Alister is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1924 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Alister's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #1,340. Use the chart and map above to compare Alister's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2022 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "A" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.