Alister

Alister - A very unique male name

Alister appeared on the charts for the first time in 2009 on position #2822. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Alister and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Alister? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Alister. The baby boy name Alister was given to 35 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1970 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 41,894 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Alister peaked in popularity 4 years ago in 2022 on position 1471.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Alister, 1-5?

Alister is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Alister is currently topping the baby name charts in Indiana at position #953 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #1,559.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Alister is where you live.

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Alister origin and meaning

Scottish form of Alexander, from Greek

A Scottish Gaelic-derived form of Alexander (Greek 'defender of men'), via Alasdair

Alister is an anglicised Scottish form of Alasdair, itself the Gaelic form of Alexander. It entered US data only in 2009 — surprisingly late — and peaked in 2022, riding interest in Alistair/Alastair spellings. Horror author and other bearers mostly use Alistair or Alastair, so this exact spelling lists none.

Attested etymology

Alister is a 7 letter name with 3 syllables.

To see famous people named Alister, pop culture references for the name Alister and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Alister

We've found the following names that sound similar to Alister, sorted by popularity.

Alistair / Alston / Alcide / Alastair / Allister / Aleister / Alcides / Alastor / Alasdair / Algot /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Alister

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Alister a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Alister?

3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

AL-is-ter · /ˈælɪstər/

Around the world

• Alasdair (Scottish Gaelic) — The Gaelic source form
• Alistair (English (Scottish)) — The commoner anglicised spelling

Spellings and nicknames

• Alistair — The most common spelling
• Alastair — Another established spelling
• Allister — A doubled-L spelling

Nicknames: Al

Famous bearers

None yet — the name first appears in the data in 2009, and its oldest bearers are still young.

Style

ClassicInternational

Why parents choose it

Parents choose Alister for a distinguished British-classic sound in the least common of its spellings.

Worth knowing

• Alistair and Alastair dominate — expect this spelling to be 'corrected' often.