| Lyall | Alasdair | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | wolf | Defender of the people |
| Origin | scottish | Scottish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | LY-al | AL-us-ter |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1989 |
| Peak year | 1929 (16) | 2021 (37) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 28 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Lyall | Alasdair |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 23 | 167 |
| 2010s | 0 | 225 |
| 2000s | 5 | 85 |
| 1990s | 6 | 43 |
| 1980s | 0 | 5 |
| 1970s | 7 | 0 |
| 1960s | 10 | 0 |
| 1950s | 35 | 0 |
| 1940s | 38 | 0 |
| 1930s | 55 | 0 |
| 1920s | 71 | 0 |
| 1910s | 41 | 0 |
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 the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
Alasdair is more popular than Lyall today: about 28 US babies were given the name Alasdair in 2025, compared with 0 named Lyall.
Lyall means wolf (scottish origin), while Alasdair means Defender of the people (Scottish origin).
In US records, Lyall first appears in 0 and Alasdair in 1989, so Lyall has the longer recorded history.