Scottish · Boy name
Alistair
“defender of men”
About the name Alistair
Alistair is an anglicised spelling of Alasdair, the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander. Alexander itself comes from the Greek alexein, to defend, and aner, man, giving the meaning defender of men. Alexander entered Scotland through the royal house, as three medieval Scottish kings bore it, and Gaelic speakers adapted it as Alasdair. The Highland commander Alasdair Mac Colla fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and is celebrated in Gaelic song. In modern times the broadcaster Alistair Cooke presented the long-running BBC radio series Letter from America. Spellings such as Alastair and Alister reflect different attempts to render the Gaelic in English.
- Meaning
- defender of men
- Origin
- Scottish
- Gender
- Boy
- Pronunciation
- AL-ih-ster(3 syl.)
Variants and spellings
- Alasdair
- Alastair
- Alister
- Allister
If you like Alistair
Middle names for Alistair
- Alistair James
- Alistair John
- Alistair Thomas
- Alistair Hugh
- Alistair Robert
Questions about Alistair
- What does Alistair mean?
- Alistair is a Scottish name meaning "defender of men".
- How do you pronounce Alistair?
- Alistair is pronounced AL-ih-ster, with emphasis on the first syllable.
- What are variants of Alistair?
- Variants of Alistair include Alasdair, Alastair, Alister, Allister.
More names like this: Scottish baby names