boy's name

Alastair

  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 8
  • Popularity Uncommon
  • Births on record 5,838

Northern Ireland

#375

2007 births

Alastair is a boy's name with 3 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 67 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

  • Peaked in Scotland in 1983, when 116 babies were given the name.
  • It has been falling over the past decade in Scotland.
  • Today about 1 in 9,532 babies in Scotland is given this name.
  • First appears in birth records in 1974.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.

Alastair over time

Births per decade in Scotland, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2024, not a full ten years.

871
'70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Alastair by decade in Scotland
Decade Births
1970s 591
1980s 871
1990s 523
2000s 217
2010s 121
2020s (to 2024) 28

How popular is Alastair?

In 2024, Alastair was given to 4 babies in Scotland, ranking #646 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Where Alastair is used

Northern Ireland #375 3 in 2007
Scotland #646 4 in 2024
Ireland #663 4 in 2020
England & Wales #1,161 25 in 2025
Canada #1,847 11 in 2024
United States #2,145 67 in 2025
France #5,624 5 in 2019

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

Figures for Scotland withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Alastair

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Alastair also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alastair over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Alastair

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alastair — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Alastair

How popular is the name Alastair?

In 2024, Alastair was given to 4 babies in Scotland, ranking #646 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Is Alastair a girl's or a boy's name?

Alastair is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in Alastair?

Alastair has 3 syllables.

When was Alastair most popular?

Alastair peaked in 1983, when 116 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.

Is Alastair a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alastair currently ranks #646 in Scotland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.