| Alasdair | Ian | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | God is gracious |
| Origin | Scottish | scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AL-us-ter | EE-uhn |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1989 | 1912 |
| Peak year | 2021 (37) | 2005 (6,688) |
| In 2025 | 28 | 3,924 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alasdair | Ian |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 167 | 26,113 |
| 2010s | 225 | 52,475 |
| 2000s | 85 | 61,925 |
| 1990s | 43 | 54,007 |
| 1980s | 5 | 37,770 |
| 1970s | 0 | 17,186 |
| 1960s | 0 | 4,977 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,670 |
| 1940s | 0 | 779 |
| 1930s | 0 | 445 |
| 1920s | 0 | 225 |
| 1910s | 0 | 92 |
Alasdair is the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
The Scottish Gaelic form of John (Iain), ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' One of several John-root names carrying the 'God is gracious' sense.
Ian is more popular than Alasdair today: about 3,924 US babies were given the name Ian in 2025, compared with 28 named Alasdair.
Alasdair means Defender of the people (Scottish origin), while Ian means God is gracious (scottish origin).
In US records, Alasdair first appears in 1989 and Ian in 1912, so Ian has the longer recorded history.