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 [ 2 syll. a-li, al-i ] The boy name Ali is sometimes used as a girl name. Its pronunciation is AALiy KEY. Ali is largely used in the Arabic and English languages, and it is derived from Arabic and Irish Gaelic origins. Arabic and Irish Gaelic origin, Arabic use: Derived literally from the element 'ali' which means high, lofty, sublime. In Islamic tradition, Al-Aliy, the All-High, is one of the names of Allah. The name was also borne by Ali ibn-Abi-Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law; he was the first Islamic convert and the fourth caliph in the 7th century. In literature, the name is borne by the hero in the tale 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'. The name has been a traditional favorite among Muslims. In the USA, it is common among Black Muslims, most famously borne by the boxer Cassius Clay (1942-), who adopted the name Muhammed Ali after he converted to Islam. The name Alya (Russian and Arabic) is the female equivalent of Ali. The name Alia (Arabic) is a variant of Ali. In addition, Ali is a variant of the name Callister (English). Aali (Arabic variant spelling) is another form of Ali. Ali is a fairly popular baby name for boys. The name's popularity has been increasing since the 1960s; before that, it was of very light use only. At the modest height of its usage in 2002, 0.042% of baby boys were given the name Ali. Its ranking then was #320. In 2008, its usage was 0.034% and its ranking #398, and it was the most widely used within all boy names in its group. There were times from 1986 to 1986 when more girls than boys were named Ali, but currently it is more often than not a boy name. In 2004, boys named Ali outnumbered girls by 2 times. Baby names that sound like Ali include Olley (English), Olli (English), Ollie (English), Olly (English), Aali (Arabic), Alaa (Arabic), Alao (Portuguese), Allie (English), Aulay (Scottish), Ulli (German), Al (English), Aleix (Catalan), Alejo (Spanish), Aloha (Hawaiian), Ayal (Hebrew), Elia (Dutch, German, Italian, and Zuni), Iliya (Slavic), Ol (English), and Alaois (Irish). KEY: Pronunciation for Ali: AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)"   |
