Ali (name)

Ali (علي) is a common unisex (originally male) name.

Ali is derived from the Arabic triconsonantal root ʕ-l-w, which literally means "high", "elevated", "champion", ”king of kings”, ”emperor”, and is used as both a given name and surname. 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, and some rulers of Saba and Himyar). It is identical in form and meaning to the עֵלִי, Eli, which goes back to the High Priest Eli in the biblical Books of Samuel.

The Ali surname is especially common in Arab countries and the rest of the Muslim world.

Ali is the most common last name in Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Kuwait and Libya. The last name can also be found among the Indian Muslim and Pakistani communities, as it is often associated with the descendants of Ali in these regions.

The name Ali is also used in various other cultures as a given name. Among English speakers it is used as a short form of male or female names starting with "Ali", such as Alice, Alison, Alisha, Alistair, Alexander, or Alexandra. In Old Norse, Áli and Åle are alternative forms of Onela. Ali is a Finnish male given name, derived from Aleksanteri.

Islam

 * Ali ibn Abi Talib (601–661), cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the fourth Caliph of Sunni Islam, and the first Imam in most schools of Shia Islam
 * Ali ibn Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin) (c. 659), grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib, fourth infallible Imam in Isma'ili and Twelver Shia Islam
 * Ali ibn Musa (ar-Reza) (c. 766 – 818), eighth infallible Imam in Shia Islam
 * Ali ibn Muhammad (al-Hadi) (c. 829), tenth infallible Imam in Shia Islam
 * Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari, Persian Muslim scholar, physician and psychologist
 * Ali ibn al-Mu'tasim, 9th-century Abbasid prince and son of Al-Mu'tasim
 * Ali al-Muktafi, Abbasīd caliph from 902 to 908
 * Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, Imam in Shiʻi Islam
 * Husayn ibn Ali, Abu Abd Allah or Imam Husayn, a grandson of Muhammad
 * Hasan ibn Ali, the firstborn son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of Muhammad
 * Ali ibn al-Athir, 12th- and 13th-century Islamic historian and geographer
 * Ali Jaunpuri (1800–1873), Islamic scholar
 * Ali bin Hussein, King of Hejaz (1879 - 1935), second king of Hejaz

Arts and entertainment

 * Ali Akbar Navis, Indonesian author
 * Ali Gatie, Iraqi-Canadian singer-songwriter
 * Ali Hassan (born 1972), Indian television actor
 * Ali Kiba (born 1986), Tanzanian singer and songwriter
 * Ali Marhyar (born 1984), French actor, film director and screenwriter
 * Ali Özgentürk, Turkish film director
 * Ali Rehman Khan, Pakistani actor
 * Ali Saad (actor), Lebanese actor and voice actor
 * Ali Saleem, Pakistani television host
 * Ali Salem, Egyptian playwright
 * Ali Shahalom, British-Bangladeshi comedian
 * Ali Al-Zein, Lebanese actor and voice actor
 * Ali Campbell, British singer and member of UB40

Sports

 * Ali Adnan Kadhim (born 1993), Iraqi footballer
 * Ali Alaaeddine (born 1993), Lebanese footballer
 * Ali Alanç (born 1959), Turkish football manager
 * Ali Annabi, Tunisian fencer
 * Ali Asfand (born 2004), Pakistani cricketer
 * Ali Bacher, South African cricket batsman and administrator
 * Ali Daei (born 1969), Iranian footballer
 * Ali Daher (born 1996), Lebanese footballer
 * Ali Demić, Bosnian basketball player
 * Ali Dia (born 1965), Senegalese footballer
 * Ali Badara Dia (born 1941), Guinea footballer
 * Ali Eren Demirezen (born 1990), Turkish amateur boxer
 * Ali Fakih (born 1967), Lebanese footballer
 * Ali Farahat, Egyptian chess player
 * Ali Farokhmanesh (born 1988), American basketball player and coach
 * Ali Fayad (disambiguation), multiple people
 * Ali Gaye (born 1998), American football player
 * Ali Ferit Gören (1913–1987), Austrian-Turkish Olympic sprinter
 * Ali Güneş, Turkish footballer
 * Ali Kaya (athlete) (born Stanley Kiprotich Mukche in 1994), Kenyan-Turkish long-distance runner
 * Ali Kireş, Turkish footballer
 * Ali Marpet (born 1993), American football player in the NFL
 * Ali Marwi, Kuwaiti footballer
 * Ali Musse (born 1996), Somali footballer
 * Ali Noorzad, Afghan basketball player
 * Ali Ölmez (born 1983), Turkish footballer
 * Ali Öztürk (footballer, born 1986), Turkish footballer
 * Ali Öztürk (footballer, born 1987), Turkish footballer
 * Ali Sabeh (born 1994), Lebanese footballer
 * Ali Sami Yen, Turkish Association football entrepreneur
 * Ali Sánchez, Venezuelan professional baseball player
 * Ali Sarı (born 1986), Turkish taekwondo practitioner
 * Ali Tandoğan, Turkish footballer
 * Ali Topaloğlu (born 1998), Turkish track and field athlete with Down syndrome
 * Ali Turan, Turkish footballer
 * Ali Williams (born 1981), New Zealand rugby union player
 * Ali Nihat Yazıcı (born 1964), Turkish chess official
 * Ali Efe Yeğin (born 1993), Turkish professional motorcycle racer

Others

 * Ali Aaltonen, Finnish Red Guard commander
 * Ali al-Abdallah, Syrian writer and human rights activist
 * Ali Akdemir, Turkish scientist
 * Ali Alatas, Indonesian diplomat
 * Ali Aldabbagh, Iraqi engineer and politician
 * Ali ibn al-Athir, Hadith expert, historian and biographer
 * Ali Abu Awwad, Palestinian pacifist
 * Ali Babacan, Turkish politician
 * Ali Mohammad Besharati (born 1945), Iranian politician
 * Ali Bozer, Turkish politician
 * Ali Brownlee (1959–2016), English sportscaster
 * Ali Çetinkaya, Turkish Army officer
 * Ali al-Dandachi, Syrian scout leader
 * Ali Dizaei (born 1962), Anglo-Iranian police officer and criminal
 * Ali Džabič (1853–1918), Bosnian mufti
 * Ali Erdemir, Turkish scientist
 * Ali Fadel, Iraqi politician
 * Ali Hassan al-Majid (1941–2010), Iraqi politician and mass murderer
 * Ali ibn Hazm, Andalusian Muslim polymath and scholar
 * Ali Hekimoğlu, Ottoman grand vizier and general
 * Ali Jarbawi, Palestinian politician
 * Ali Karimov (1919–2000), Azerbaijani statesman
 * Ali Kaya (serial killer) (born 1979), Turkish serial killer
 * Ali Kemal Bey, Turkish journalist, newspaper editor and poet
 * Ali Khademhosseini (born 1975), Iranian-Canadian bioengineer
 * Ali Khamenei (born 1939), Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989
 * Ali Kiliç, Ottoman Grand Admiral
 * Ali Kordan (1958–2009), Iranian politician
 * Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi, 11th-century physician
 * Ali Maksum, Indonesian Islamic leader
 * Ali al-Masudi (al-Masʿūdī), Arab historian, geographer and traveler
 * Ali Mech, 13th-century tribal chief
 * Ali Akbar Moinfar, Iranian politician
 * Ali Moulana, Sri Lankan politician, chairman of Eravur Urban Council
 * Ali Qanso, Lebanese politician
 * Ali İsmet Öztürk (born 1964), Turkish aerobatics pilot
 * Ali ibn Ridwan, 11th-century astrologer
 * Ali Sabancı, Turkish businessman
 * Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician
 * Ali Said Raygal, Somali politician
 * Ali Sastroamidjojo, 8th and 10th Prime Minister of Indonesia
 * Ali Sayyar (1926–2019), Bahraini journalist and politician
 * Ali bin Hossein Seydi, Ottoman admiral and author
 * Ali Shayegan (1903–1981), Iranian politician
 * Ali Tayebnia (born 1960), Iranian academic and politician
 * Ali Topuz (1932–2019), Turkish politician
 * Ali Wallace (naturalist), assistant to naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace
 * Ali Wazir, Pakistani politician and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
 * Ali Yafie (1926–2023), Indonesian Islamic leader
 * Ali Yusuf Kenadid, Somali Sultan of the Sultanate of Hobyo
 * Ali I of Yejju (died 1788), Ethiopian leader
 * Ali II of Yejju (c. 1819 – c. 1866), Ethiopian leader

Arts and entertainment

 * Ali Barter (born 1986), Australian singer-songwriter
 * Ali Bastian (born 1982), English actress
 * Ali Benjamin, American author
 * Ali Brown (born 1971), American author
 * Ali Brustofski (born 1993), American singer
 * Ali Bryan, Canadian novelist
 * Ali Caldwell (born 1988), American singer
 * Ali Cobrin (born 1989), American actress
 * Ali Cobby Eckermann (born 1963), Australian poet
 * Ali Ewoldt (born 1982), American theatre actress
 * Ali Fedotowsky (born 1984), American television presenter
 * Ali Gass, American curator
 * Ali Hillis (born 1978), American actress
 * Ali Kay, American model
 * Ali Landry (born 1973), American model and actress
 * Ali Larter (born 1976), American actress
 * Ali Lee (born 1982), Hong Kong actress
 * Ali Liebegott (born 1971), American writer
 * Ali Liebert (born 1981), Canadian actress
 * Ali Lohan (born 1993), American model and actress
 * Ali MacGraw (born 1939), American actress
 * Ali McGregor, Australian soprano
 * Ali Michael (born 1990), American fashion model
 * Ali Rogers (born 1991), American beauty pageant titleholder
 * Ali Ryerson (born 1952), American flutist
 * Ali Shaw (born 1982), Scottish television presenter
 * Ali Smith (born 1962), Scottish author
 * Ali Sotto (born 1961), Filipino actress
 * Ali Spagnola, American musician
 * Ali Sparkes (born 1966), British author
 * Ali Stephens (born 1991), American model
 * Ali Stone (born 1992), Spanish record producer
 * Ali Stroker (born 1987), American actress
 * Ali Tamposi (born 1989), American songwriter
 * Ali Wentworth (born 1965), American actress
 * Ali Wong (born 1982), American comedian and actress

Sports

 * Ali Bernard (born 1986), American Olympic athlete
 * Ali Brigginshaw (born 1989), Australian international rugby league player
 * Ali Frantti (born 1996), American volleyball player
 * Ali Johnson (born 1998), English footballer
 * Ali Krieger (born 1984), American soccer player
 * Ali Loke (born 1993), Welsh squash player
 * Ali Riley (born 1987), American-born New Zealand soccer player
 * Ali Viola (born 1976), American softball player

Others

 * Ali Cupper (born 1980), Australian politician
 * Ali Hewson (born 1961), Irish activist
 * Ali Hogg (born 1980), Australian activist
 * Ali Holman (born 1973), American author
 * Ali Vincent (born 1975), American spokeswoman
 * Ali Watkins (born 1992), American journalist
 * Kao Chin Su-mei (Atayal name: Ciwas Ali, born 1965), Taiwanese politician

Middle name

 * Abbas Ali Khalatbari (1912–1979), Iranian diplomat
 * Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar (born 1976), Bengali MLA of Assam
 * Ahmad Ali Sepehr (1889–1976), Iranian historian and politician
 * Ahmed Ali Enayetpuri (1898–1959), Bengali author and journalist
 * Ajmal Ali Choudhury (1916–1971), Bengali politician
 * Akbar Ali Khan, Bangladeshi economist
 * Golam Ali Chowdhury (1824–1888), Bengali landlord and philanthropist
 * Güzelce Ali Pasha, Ottoman statesman and military figure
 * Hatem Ali Jamadar (1872–1982), Bengali politician
 * Janab Ali Majumdar, Bengali politician
 * Lotf Ali Khan (c. 1769–1794), last Shah of the Zand dynasty, of Persia
 * Mahbub Ali Khan (1934–1984), Bangladeshi chief of naval staff
 * Mehmet Ali Birand (1941–2013), Turkish journalist
 * Mohammad Ali Varasteh (1896–1989), Iranian statesman
 * Mohammed Ali Qamar, Bengali boxer
 * Morshed Ali Khan Panni, Bangladeshi politician
 * Müezzinzade Ali Pasha, Ottoman statesman and naval officer
 * Najib Ali Choudhury, Bengali Islamic scholar
 * Osman Ali Sadagar (1856–1948), Bengali-Assamese politician and educationist
 * Rowshan Ali Chowdhury (1874–1933), Bengali journalist
 * Saif Ali Khan Indian film actor
 * Seydi Ali Reis, Ottoman admiral and navigator
 * Sherman Ali Ahmed, Bengali MLA of Assam
 * Uluç Ali Reis (1519–1587), Italian farmer who became Kapudan Pasha
 * Wajid Ali Choudhury, Bengali MLA of Assam
 * Wajed Ali Khan Panni (1871–1936), Bengali aristocrat
 * Wajid Ali Khan Panni II, Bangladeshi politician
 * Yakub Ali Chowdhury (1888–1940), Bengali essayist

Arts and entertainment

 * Aamir Ali, Indian television actor
 * Ahmad Ali (1910–1994), Pakistani writer
 * Ahmad Ismail Ali (1917–1974), Egyptian army officer
 * Alauddin Ali (1952–2020), Bangladeshi music composer
 * Ali (born 1968), Indian film actor
 * Begum Nawazish Ali (born 1979), Pakistani television host
 * Egypt Ali, stage name Egypt Speaks (born 1998), American musician
 * Filiz Ali (born 1937), Turkish pianist
 * Idris Ali (1940–2010), Egyptian author
 * Imtiaz Ali (born 1971), Indian film director
 * Laylah Ali (born 1968), American visual artist
 * Mahershala Ali (born 1974), American actor
 * Maya Ali (born 1989), Pakistani actress
 * Shahalom Ali, better known as Ali Shahalom, comedian and television presenter
 * Rashied Ali (1935–2009), American drummer
 * Sadeq Ali (1800–1862), Bengali poet, writer and judge
 * Somy Ali (born 1976), Bollywood actress
 * Syed Murtaza Ali, Bengali writer and historian
 * Tatyana Ali (born 1979), American actress and singer

Sports

 * Abdulaziz Ali (born 1980), Qatari footballer
 * Ahmed Ali, Emirati football player
 * Ahmad Ismail Ali (born 1917), Commander-in-Chief of Egypt's army
 * Almoez Ali (born 1996), Qatari international footballer of Sudanese descent
 * Awais Ali (born 2005), Pakistani cricketer
 * Hamdi Ali (born 1997), Qatari high jumper
 * Hameen Ali (born 1977), American football player
 * Hyder Ali (born 1720), the Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India
 * Imtiaz Ali (born 1954), West Indian cricketer
 * Imtiaz Ali, Trinidadian cricketer
 * Josh Ali (born 1999), American football player
 * Jusif Ali (born 2000), Finnish footballer
 * Khalid Ali, Emirati football defender
 * Laila Ali (born 1977), American television personality and former professional boxer, daughter of Muhammad Ali
 * Meral Yıldız Ali (born 1987), Romanian-Turkish female table tennis player
 * Moeen Ali (born 1987), English cricketer
 * Muhammad Ali (1942–2016; born Cassius Clay), American boxer, activist and philanthropist
 * Mukhtar Ali, Saudi Arabian professional footballer
 * Mohamed Ali (born 1992), Indian professional footballer
 * Nur Ali (born 1974), Pakistani-American racing driver
 * Rahaman Ali (born 1943; born Rudolph Arnett Clay, later rechristened to Rudolph Valentino), American boxer, brother of Muhammad Ali
 * Rasheen Ali (born 2001), American football player
 * Veronica Porché Ali, American psychologist and the former wife of boxer Muhammad Ali

Others

 * Abu Saeed Muhammad Omar Ali (1945–2012), Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and translator
 * Ahmadu Ali (born 1936), Nigerian politician
 * Anwar Ali, Pakistani economist
 * Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born 1969), writer and politician
 * Altab Ali, factory garment worker murdered by three teenagers in a racist attack in East London
 * Ayub Ali (1919–1995), Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educationist
 * Ayub Ali Master (1880–1980), British-Bangladeshi social worker and entrepreneur
 * Azad Ali, IT worker and civil servant for the HM Treasury
 * Azmin Ali (born 1964), Malaysian politician
 * Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards, Spice Business Magazine and Ion TV
 * Hassan Al-Ali (Scouting), former General Secretary of the Kuwait Boy Scouts Association
 * Hasan ibn Ali, early Islamic Alid political and religious leader
 * Husayn ibn Ali, early Islamic figure
 * Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz, Arab leader from the Banu Qatadah branch of the Banu Hashim clan
 * Idris Ali (politician) (1950–2024), Indian politician
 * Ilias Ali (Bangladeshi politician), Bangladeshi politician, Organising Secretary of the Bangladesh National Party
 * Abul Aziz Muhammad Ismail Ali (1868–1937), Urdu poet and activist
 * Jobeda Ali (1975–2020), British social entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker and chief executive of Three Sisters Care
 * Kazim Ali (born 1971), American poet, novelist, essayist, and professor
 * Mahbub Ali, Bangladeshi politician and Member of Parliament
 * M. A. Yusuff Ali, Indian businessman and billionaire
 * Mahmud Ali (statesman), Indian Freedom Movement leader, statesman
 * Mir Masoom Ali, Bangladeshi American statistician, Distinguished Professor and author
 * Mir Maswood Ali, Canadian statistician and mathematician
 * Mockbul Ali, British diplomat and former Islamic Issues Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
 * Munsur Ali, British film producer, screenwriter and director
 * Mustafa Ali, Malaysian politician
 * Muhammad Shamsi Ali (born 1967), Indonesian-American Muslim scholar
 * Siraj Ali, British Bangladeshi restaurateur and philanthropist
 * Nasim Ali, UK Labour Party politician, councillor and former Mayor of Camden
 * Noble Drew Ali (1886–1929), founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America
 * Ragib Ali, Bangladeshi industrialist, pioneer tea-planter, educationalist, philanthropist and banker
 * Rushanara Ali (born 1975), British politician
 * Sabahattin Ali (1907–1948), Turkish novelist and journalist
 * Saeed Abu Ali, Palestinian politician and jurist
 * Safiye Ali (1891–1952), Turkish physician
 * Saleem Ali (born 1973), Pakistani-American scholar
 * Salim Ali (1896–1987), Indian ornithologist and naturalist
 * Samina Ali, Indian-American author and activist
 * Sarfraz Ali (born c. 1977), convicted of the racially motivated murder of Ross Parker
 * Shah Muhammad Ibrahim Ali (1872–1931), Bengali poet and Islamic scholar
 * Sonni Ali (died 1492), first king of the West African Songhai empire
 * Syed Mohammad Ali (1928–1993), Bangladeshi journalist, founder of Bangladesh The Daily Star
 * Syed Mohsin Ali (1948–2015), Bangladeshi politician, Minister of Social Welfare
 * Syed Mujtaba Ali (1904–1974), Indo-Bangladeshi author, journalist, travel enthusiast, academician, scholar and linguist
 * Sheikh Razzak Ali (1928–2015), Bangladeshi author, journalist and politician
 * Takis Mehmet Ali, German politician
 * Yashar Ali, American journalist with Iranian ancestry
 * Zahid Ali, Norwegian stand-up comedian
 * Zaynab bint Ali (626–682), eldest daughter of Fatima and Ali ibn Abi Talib
 * Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 2nd president of Tunisia

Male

 * Abdul Ali
 * Ali Reza
 * Ali Sher (disambiguation)
 * Barkat Ali
 * Mehmet Ali

Female

 * Aaliyah
 * Aliye
 * Aliya

Umm Ali

 * Umm Ali Jijak, mother of Abbasid caliph al-Muktafi

Stage name or pseudonym

 * Ali (actor), Telugu comedian and TV presenter
 * Ali (French rapper) (born 1995), French rapper of Moroccan origin
 * Ali (graffiti artist), American artist and musician
 * Ali (American rapper), aka Ali Jones, American rapper
 * Ali (South Korean singer)
 * Ali (wrestler), ring name of Pakistani-American professional wrestler Adeel Alam
 * Ali B, Dutch rapper
 * Ali B (DJ), British DJ
 * Ali Bongo (magician) (1929–2009), stage name of British comedy magician William Wallace
 * Ali G, stage persona used by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen
 * Ali Hassan (actor) (born 1972), Indian television actor
 * Ali Official, British-Bangladeshi comedian
 * Big Ali, American rapper and DJ

Fictional characters

 * Ali (character), a Chinese cartoon character
 * Ali (House), a character in the television series House
 * Ali Baba, a character in the folk tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
 * Ali Bombay, a character in the television series M.A.S.K.
 * Ali Osman, a character in the soap opera EastEnders
 * Ali Al-Saachez, a character in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 00