Ali
UnisexAli has been given to 44,888 babies in the U.S. since 1914. It peaked in 2014 and currently ranks #306 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈɑːli/
From Arabic عَلِيّ (ʕaliyy, literally “high, exalted”), from the Arabic root ع ل ي (ʕ l y).
Origin: Arabic
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
44,888
Peak year
2014 (1,251 babies)
Rank in 2025
#306 for boys
First recorded
1914
10-year trend
▼ -7%
Gender split
23% girls / 77% boys
Famous people named Ali
Ali Khamenei
Cleric and former Supreme Leader of Iran from 1989 to 2026 (1939–2026)
Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib
4th Rashidun Caliph (r. 656–661) and first Shia Imam
Ali Abdullah Saleh
President of North Yemen (1978–1990) and Yemen (1990–2012)
Ali Bongo Ondimba
President of Gabon (2009–2023)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Ali.
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