Aillig as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Aillig

What is the meaning of the name Aillig ?

The baby name Aillig is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced AY-lig (IPA: /ˈeɪlɪɡ/).

Aillig is Scottish Gaelic in Origin.

Aillig is a Scottish Gaelic masculine given name, most often treated as the Gaelic equivalent of Alec/Alexander. It ultimately derives from Greek Alexandros, combining aléxein “to defend” with anḗr/andros “man, person,” hence the meaning “defender of men” or “protector of people.” The standard Gaelic spelling is commonly Ailig, with Aillig appearing as a less frequent, modernized variant influenced by English orthography. Approximate pronunciation is AL-ik.

In Gaelic-speaking Highland and Hebridean communities, Aillig/Ailig functioned as the everyday Gaelic name for men recorded as Alexander or Alec in English, a practice visible in 18th–20th‑century parish and census records. The name has seen modest revival in contemporary Gaelic circles in Scotland and the diaspora (e.g., Nova Scotia). Related forms and variants include Alasdair (full Gaelic Alexander), the Anglicized Alistair/Alastair, and English diminutives Alec, Alex, and Sandy; Irish Gaelic offers the cognate Alastar.

⚙ Nothing for Aillig shows up in the birth registries or name datasets we track. Names like this are usually very rare, tied to a particular region or tradition, or freshly invented. Whichever it is, scarcely anyone else carries it.