Given name · also Gaelic
Alastor
“helper and defender of mankind”
Alastor is a variant of Alastair. In Scottish use, Alastair carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Alastor is a variant of Alastair. In Scottish use, Alastair carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alastor comes from Scottish Gaelic, and ultimately from Old Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Alastor developed from Alaxander.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2011. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alastor through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 394
- 394 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 83 babies
- 2025
- 55
- #2,451 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +108%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 55 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,451 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 108.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9).
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alastor’s family of names
In English usage, Alastor developed from the Old Irish form Alaxander. Alastor has a related form in Alastair. In English usage, Alastor was borrowed from the Scottish Gaelic form Alasdair.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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