Alistair

Alistair (Alasdair) is the Scottish form of Alexander. Alexander is the Latinized form of the ancient Greek name “Alexandros” (Αλεξανδρος), composed of the elements “alexein” meaning “to defend” and “andros” meaning “man, warrior” in the possessive and so specifically means: “defender of mankind”. The most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon in the 4th century B.C.; he was (and still is) considered the greatest military general of all time. Alexander the Great successfully defeated the Persian Empire in its entirety, expanding his empire east to India and south to Egypt, spreading and infusing Hellenistic culture far and wide. Even the later Roman military generals were known to be jealous of Alexander’s achievements. His “great” name was adopted throughout Europe in many different languages dating back to antiquity and perpetuating into medieval times thanks to the glorious legends recounted of this ancient Greek hero. Indeed, the 11th century Queen Margaret of Scotland was inspired enough to name one of her own sons Alexander; the little lad would later become King Alexander I of Scotland (1107-1124). Two more Scottish kings bearing this name would follow during the 13th century. The Medieval Gaelic form of Alexander was at first rendered as Alaxandair and later morphed into Alasdair in Modern Gaelic. Alistair is more or less the anglicized spelling, and still enjoys a fair amount of circulation in England.