Boys' name · since 1924
Alister
Alister has 1,659 recorded births since 1924 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2022 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #3,705 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,692 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,659
- born since 1924
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Alister is the #1692 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 1,659 recorded since 1924.
Alister has 1,659 recorded births among boys since 1924, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1692 as of the latest data, more common than 88% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1924 to 2025.
- #3,705 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,692 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,659 born since 1924
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alister ranks #3,705 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,692 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,659 born since 1924, peaking in the 2010s.
- #3,705 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,692 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,659
- born since 1924
- 2010s
- peak decade
Alister's 1,659 recorded births place it above 91.85% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
19 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Alister compares
1,659 Top 24% higher than 76% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alister's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alister | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,659 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 141 | 34 | 22,252 |
Alister's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Alister splits its recorded history at 2005: 90% of all births land in the more recent half, 10% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1924 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 141 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Alister popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1924–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 141
- Annual births at peak, across 102 years of records
Alister popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 2018 (Alister as girls' name)
Alister by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (736 births, 44% of the file).
2010s was Alister's strongest decade.
736 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Alister births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1980s 48
1980s
48 births
- 1990s 64
1990s
64 births
- 2000s 170
2000s
170 births
- 2010s
2010s
736 births
- 2020s
2020s
636 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 736 births (44% of all-time use).
How Alister compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Alister's total volume
Alister by state
Where Alister concentrates geographically, total births since 1924
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 155 | 9.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 153 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 46 | 2.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 32 | 1.9% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 23 | 1.4% |
| #6 | Colorado | | 20 | 1.2% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 18 | 1.1% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 16 | 1.0% |
155 of 1,659 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 19 reporting states.
Alister appears in 19 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Alister's data
- Alister's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (736 total births) through the 2020s (636) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Alisters (155 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alister
Nearby Names Like Alister
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alister
Compare Alister side by side: Alister vs Ali Alister vs Alijah Alister vs Alistair
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alister
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alister: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~101 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1924–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alister draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.