Alister
Boy name · #1692 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 97 baby boys were named Alister, placing it at #1692 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #1815, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 18,557 boys born in 2025 was named Alister.
Babies named Alister per year. Source: SSA.
The 101-year story
Alister first appears in the Social Security records in 1924, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 141 babies and a rank of #1330. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Alister against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Alister in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Alister is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Alister will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Alister is most common
State-level data for Alister is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Alister
Statistically, parents drawn to Alister tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Allister, Aleister, Winter, Jupiter, and Slater.
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Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Alister | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97 | #1688 |
| 2024 | 102 | #1650 |
| 2023 | 99 | #1701 |
| 2022 | 141 | #1330 |
| 2021 | 91 | #1763 |
| 2020 | 106 | #1556 |
| 2019 | 93 | #1698 |
| 2018 | 93 | #1687 |
| 2017 | 110 | #1510 |
| 2016 | 102 | #1599 |
| 2015 | 82 | #1815 |
| 2014 | 60 | #2230 |
| 2013 | 57 | #2250 |
| 2012 | 52 | #2415 |
| 2011 | 57 | #2261 |
| 2010 | 30 | #3531 |
| 2009 | 30 | #3551 |
| 2008 | 30 | #3561 |
| 2007 | 22 | #4375 |
| 2006 | 19 | #4675 |
| 2005 | 16 | #5034 |
| 2004 | 13 | #5813 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5877 |
| 2002 | 8 | #7643 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5142 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Alister a popular boy name?
Alister ranked #1692 among boys in 2025 with 97 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1815.
When was the name Alister most popular?
Alister peaked in 2022, when 141 American boys received the name (ranked #1330 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Alister?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 18,557 newborn American boys was named Alister. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.