Ali

Ali: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “high, exalted”
Origin: Arabic
Say it: ah-LEE · 2 syllables
Used for: Both (24% girls, 76% boys since 1880)

From Arabic ʿAlī, a major Islamic name borne by Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is also used in Persian and Turkish.

Arabic names Persian names Turkish names Names meaning noble Classic names International names

How popular is Ali?

2024340 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Ali in 20241,131

2024 rank#324 boys

Peak year2022

Total US babies since 188043,710

Ali has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Ali

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Amiriprincely, of a commander · Arabic
IsaJesus · Arabic
Kharicharitable · Arabic
IssaJesus · Arabic
RumiRoman; from Anatolia · Arabic
Samielevated, sublime · Arabic
Imanfaith · Arabic
MeccaMecca, holy city · Arabic

Ali questions

What does the name Ali mean?

Ali means "high, exalted". It comes from Arabic. From Arabic ʿAlī, a major Islamic name borne by Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is also used in Persian and Turkish.

Is Ali a boy or girl name?

Ali is used for both: about 24% of US babies named Ali since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Ali?

1,131 US babies were named Ali in 2024. Its peak year was 2022.

How do you pronounce Ali?

Ali is usually pronounced ah-LEE.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.