Given name & surname
McAlister
“the son of Alistair”
McAlister is a variant of Macallister. One interpretation is “the son of Alistair.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
McAlister is a variant of Macallister. One interpretation is “the son of Alistair.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
McAlister is a form of McAllister. McAllister comes from Scottish Gaelic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2008. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
McAlister through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2008. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,954 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
McAlister’s family of names
McAlister has a related form in Macallister. In English usage, McAlister as a surname has a related form in McAllister.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love McAlister, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
McKennon
“the son of Kenna; to ascend”
>99% boys
Finbar
“a fair-haired man”
>99% boys
Macintyre
“the son of the carpenter”
>99% boys
Macgregor
“the son of Gregor”
>99% boys
Mannix
“a little monk”
>99% boys
Ieuan
“God is gracious”
>99% boys
Allistair
“helper and defender of mankind”
>99% boys
Alaster
“helper and defender of mankind”
>99% boys