Ali (name)

Ali (Arabic: علي‎, ʿAlī) is a male Arabic name derived from the Arabic root ʕ-l-w, which literally means "high", "elevated" or "champion". Islamic traditional use of the name goes back to the Islamic leader Ali ibn Abi Talib but the name is also present among some pre-Islamic Arabs (e.g. Banu Hanifa, some rulers of Saba and Himyar) and identical in form and meaning to the Hebrew: עֵלִי‎, Eli, which goes back to the High Priest Eli in the biblical Books of Samuel. The pronunciation of the name is [ ah-lee, ah-lee for 1-4; ah-lee for 5 ]. This name was ranked #339 on the US Popular Names in 2021.

The name Ali also arises in other traditions. Among English-speakers as short for male and female names starting with "Al-" such as Alice, Alison, Alisha, Alistair, Alexander, or Alexandra. In Old Norse, Áli and Åle are alternate forms of Onela. Ali is also a Finnish male given name, derived from Aleksanteri.

It is also a relatively popular name in English, ranking #339 in 2021 and is more commonly used in the language male.[1]

Islam

• Al-Ali (The Sublimely Exalted), one of the 99 names of God in Islam'
• Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, fourth Caliph of Sunni Islam, first Shia imam.

Given male name

• Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi politician and military commander
• Ali Mirzaei, Iranian weighlifter
• Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran

Given female name

• Ali Brown, (born 1971), American author

Surname

• Aamir Ali, Indian television actor