Total births
1,659
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.
- #1655
- among boys today
- 1,659
- born since 1924
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Alister is the #1655 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 #1655 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.
- #1655 among boys today
- 1,659 born since 1924
- 2010s peak decade
- 88% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alister is currently the #1655 boys' name in America, more common than 88% of boys - 1,659 born since 1924, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1655
- among boys today
- 1,659
- born since 1924
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 88%
- more common than other boys
Alister vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1655
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 88% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
44% of everyone ever named Alister was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
141 babies were named Alister in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Alister compares
1,659 Top 23% higher than 77% of 14,294 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 5x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alister | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,659 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 141 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2022
Current rank
#1,655
Active since
1924
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Alister's total US births 9.3%
Even split
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
How popular is the name Alister? ▼
Since 1924, Social Security records show 1,659 babies named Alister. Today it holds rank #1655 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2022, with 141 births.
When was Alister most popular? ▼
Alister was most popular in the 2010s decade with 736 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Alister most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alister are California (155 births), Texas (153 births), Florida (46 births).
How long has the name Alister been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alister since 1924 -- 102 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alister? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ali, Alijah, Alistair, Alice, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Ali Boy
#323 34,383 births
Alijah Boy
#429 14,231 births
Alistair Boy
#913 4,088 births
Alice Boy
#10956 1,959 births
Alias Boy
#1897 1,201 births
Compare Alister side by side: Alister vs Ali Alister vs Alijah Alister vs Alistair
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alister
Haze #1654
1,232 births · Peak 2023
Montana #1656
4,040 births · Peak 1995
Brent #1653
139,799 births · Peak 1970
Hussein #1657
3,402 births · Peak 2015
German #1652
10,290 births · Peak 1991
Muhammed #1658
2,600 births · Peak 2014
Ransom #1651
4,859 births · Peak 2022
Jhett #1659
1,689 births · Peak 2018
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alister: #1655 Boys' Name - 1,659 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alister. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.