| Alasdair | Lyall | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | wolf |
| Origin | Scottish | scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AL-us-ter | LY-al |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1989 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2021 (37) | 1929 (16) |
| In 2025 | 28 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alasdair | Lyall |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 167 | 23 |
| 2010s | 225 | 0 |
| 2000s | 85 | 5 |
| 1990s | 43 | 6 |
| 1980s | 5 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 7 |
| 1960s | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 35 |
| 1940s | 0 | 38 |
| 1930s | 0 | 55 |
| 1920s | 0 | 71 |
| 1910s | 0 | 41 |
Alasdair is the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
From the Old Norse personal name Liulfr, whose second element is 'ulfr' ('wolf'); adapted in Scotland after Norse settlement. The first element is obscure (possibly 'lid', host/people), so only the 'wolf' element is securely attested; a separate Gaelic derivation has also been proposed.
Alasdair is more popular than Lyall today: about 28 US babies were given the name Alasdair in 2025, compared with 0 named Lyall.
Alasdair means Defender of the people (Scottish origin), while Lyall means wolf (scottish origin).
In US records, Alasdair first appears in 1989 and Lyall in 0, so Lyall has the longer recorded history.