Alasdair

Alasdair (m) The ‘correct’ Gaelic form of Alexander,
more often spelt Alistair or Alastair in modern times
because of its pronunciation.

Other spellings used by Scottish parents in recent years include Alaister, Alaster, Alistar, Alister, Allistair, Allister. Scott has a minstrel called Allaster in Rob Roy (1817). Though less popular today, Alasdair was in 82nd place in the 1958 Scottish popularity table, with Alastair in 48th place and Alistair in 37th place. If the spelling variations are disregarded, on the grounds that parents were basically choosing the same name, then the combined totals would easily have made it one of the top twenty names. The name remains primarily Scottish, though it has recently begun to be used in other English-speaking countries.

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