Ali (name)
Ali 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 and identical in form and meaning to the, Eli, which goes back to the High Priest Eli in the biblical Books of Samuel.
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, 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.
Ali also as a last name has become very popular on a global scale due to the spread of Islamic culture throughout the globe. This is especially so in the Caribbean where indentured laborers from South Asia were brought to replace African slave labour at the end of slavery in countries such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Islam
- Al-Ali '', one of the 99 names of God in Islam
- Ali , cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the fourth Caliph in Sunni Islam, and the first Imam in most schools of Shia Islam
- Ali ibn Husayn , grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib, fourth infallible Imam in Isma'ili and Twelver Shia Islam
- Ali ibn Musa , eighth infallible Imam in Shia Islam.
- Ali ibn Muhammad , tenth infallible Imam in Shia Islam.
Given name
Males
- Ali al-Sistani, Highest-ranking Iraqi religious leader
- Ali, Telugu comedian and TV presenter
- Ali
- Ali, aka Ali Jones, American rapper
- Ali
- Ali Aaltonen, Finnish Red Guard commander
- Ali Abu Awwad, Palestinian pacifist
- Ali Akbar Navis, Indonesian author
- Ali Akdemir, Turkish scientist
- Ali al-Abdallah, Syrian writer and human rights activist
- Ali Alaaeddine, Lebanese footballer
- Ali Alanç, Turkish football manager
- Ali Alatas, Indonesian diplomat
- Ali Annabi, Tunisian fencer
- Ali Babacan, Turkish politician
- Ali Bacher, South African cricket batsman & administrator
- Ali Bozer, Turkish politician
- Ali Brownlee, English sportscaster
- Ali Çetinkaya, Turkish Army officer
- Ali Daei, Iranian footballer
- Ali Daher, Lebanese footballer
- Ali al-Dandachi, Syrian scout leader
- Ali Demić, Bosnian basketball player
- Ali Eren Demirezen, Turkish amateur boxer
- Ali Dizaei, Anglo-Iranian police officer and criminal
- Ali Džabič, Bosnian mufti
- Ali Erdemir, Turkish scientist
- Ali Fadel, Iraqi politician
- Ali Fakih, Lebanese footballer
- Ali Farahat, Egyptian chess player
- Ali Farokhmanesh, American basketball player and coach
- Ali Güneş, Turkish footballer
- Ali Haider Khan, Nawab of Longla
- Ali Hassan, Indian television actor
- Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi politician and mass murderer
- Ali Hosseinzadeh, Iranian Composer and Record Producer
- Ali İsmet Öztürk, Turkish aerobatics pilot
- Ali Jarbawi, Palestinian politician
- Ali Kaya, Kenyan-Turkish long-distance runner
- Ali Kaya , Turkish serial killer
- Ali Kemal Bey, Turkish journalist, newspaper editor and poet
- Ali Khademhosseini, Iranian-Canadian bioengineer
- Ali Kireş, Turkish footballer
- Ali Kordan, Iranian politician
- Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi, 11th century physician
- Ali Moulana, Sri Lankan politician, chairman of Eravur Urban Council
- Ali Mehdi , Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Syed.
- Ali Maksum, Indonesian Islamic leader
- Ali Marpet, American football player in the NFL
- Ali Marwi, Kuwaiti footballer
- Ali Musse, Somali footballer
- Ali Noorzad, Afghan basketball player
- Ali Nuhić, German-born Bosnian footballer
- Ali Ölmez, Turkish footballer
- Ali Omari, Afghan footballer
- Ali Özgentürk, Turkish film director
- Ali Öztürk, Turkish footballer
- Ali Öztürk, Turkish footballer
- Ali Rehman Khan, Pakistani Actor
- Ali Qanso, Lebanese politician
- Ali ibn Ridwan, 11th century astrologer
- Ali Saad, Lebanese actor and voice actor
- Ali Sabancı, Turkish businessman
- Ali Sabeh, Lebanese footballer
- Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician
- Ali Said Raygal, Somali politician
- Ali Saleem, Pakistani television host
- Ali Salem, Egyptian playwright
- Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari
- Ali Sami Yen, Turkish Association Football entrepreneur
- Ali Sarı, Turkish taekwondo practitioner
- Ali Sastroamidjojo, 8th and 10th Prime Minister of Indonesia
- Ali Shahalom, British-Bangladeshi comedian
- Ali Shayegan, Iranian politician
- Ali Tandoğan, Turkish footballer
- Ali Tayebnia, Iranian academic and politician
- Ali Topaloğlu, Turkish track and field athlete with Down syndrome
- Ali Turan, Turkish footballer
- Ali Wallace, assistant to naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace
- Ali Wazir, Pakistani politician and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
- Ali Williams, New Zealand rugby union player
- Ali Yafie, Indonesian Islamic leader
- Ali Yusuf Kenadid, Somali Sultan of the Sultanate of Hobyo
- Ali Nihat Yazıcı, Turkish Chess official
- Ali I of Yejju, Ethiopian leader
- Ali II of Yejju, Ethiopian leader
- Ali Al-Zein, Lebanese actor and voice actor
- Abbas Ali Khalatbari, Iranian diplomat
- Lotf Ali Khan, last Shah of the Zand dynasty, of Persia
Females
- Ali Bastian, English actress
- Ali Barter, Australian singer-songwriter
- Ali Brustofski, American singer
- Ali Caldwell, American singer
- Ali Cobrin, American actress
- Ali Cobby Eckermann, Australian poet
- Ali Ewoldt, American theatre actress
- Ali Fedotowsky, American television presenter
- Ali Hewson, Irish activist
- Ali Hillis, American actress
- Ali Johnson, English footballer
- Ali Kay, American model
- Ali Krieger, American soccer player
- Ali Landry, American model and actress
- Ali Larter, American actress
- Ali Lee, Hong Kong actress
- Ali Liebegott, American writer
- Ali Liebert, Canadian actress
- Ali Lohan, American model and actress
- Ali Loke, Welsh squash player
- Ali MacGraw, American actress
- Ali McGregor, Australian soprano
- Ali Michael, American fashion model
- Ali Riley, American-born New Zealand soccer player
Surname
- Aamir Ali, Indian television actor
- Abdulaziz Ali, Qatari footballer
- Ahmadu Ali, Nigerian politician
- Ahmed Ali, Pakistani writer
- Ali, Indian film actor
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, writer, and politician
- Ayub Ali, early British-Bangladeshi social reformer, politician and entrepreneur
- Begum Nawazish Ali, Pakistani television host
- Altab Ali, factory garment worker murdered by three teenagers in a racist attack in East London
- Ayub Ali Master, founder of the Shah Jalal Restaurant in London, which became a hub for the British Asian community
- Azad Ali – IT worker and civil servant for the HM Treasury. He is also the Islamic Forum of Europe spokesman, founding chair of the Muslim Safety Forum and vice-chair of Unite Against Fascism.
- Dina Ali, an Indian activist
- Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards, Spice Business Magazine and Ion TV
- Filiz Ali, Turkish pianist
- Hameen Ali, American football player
- Hassan Al-Ali, former General Secretary of the Kuwait Boy Scouts Association
- Ilias Ali, Organising Secretary of the Bangladesh National Party
- Imtiaz Ali, Indian film director
- Imtiaz Ali, former West Indian cricketer
- Imtiaz Ali, Trinidadian cricketer
- Jobeda Ali, social entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker and Chief Executive of Three Sisters Care
- Jusif Ali, Finnish footballer
- Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, female boxer
- Mahbub Ali, former MP for Habiganj-4
- Mahershala Ali, American actor
- Mahmud Ali, Indian Freedom Movement leader, statesman
- Meral Yıldız Ali, Romanian-Turkish female table tennis player
- Mockbul Ali OBE – British diplomat and former Islamic Issues Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Moeen Ali – English cricket player
- Muhammad Ali, American boxer, activist and philanthropist
- Munsur Ali – British film producer, screenwriter and director
- Muhammad Shamsi Ali, Indonesian-American Muslim scholar
- Siraj Ali – British Bangladeshi restaurateur and philanthropist
- Nasim Ali OBE, Labour Party politician, councillor in Regent's Park, Cabinet Member for Young People in Camden Council and former Mayor of Camden. He became UK's youngest mayor as well as the first Bangladeshi and first Muslim mayor.
- Noble Drew Ali, Founder of the Moorish Science Temple of America
- Ragib Ali, industrialist, pioneer tea-planter, educationalist, philanthropist and banker who has a net worth of $250 million
- Rashied Ali, American drummer
- Rucka Rucka Ali, American rapper, radio personality, singer, comedian, and satirist
- Rushanara Ali, British politician
- Sabahattin Ali, Turkish novelist and journalist
- Sadeq Ali, Bengali poet, writer and judge
- Safiye Ali, Turkish physician
- Saleem Ali, Pakistani-American scholar
- Salim Ali, Indian ornithologist and naturalist
- Samina Ali, Indian-American author and activist
- Sarfraz Ali, convicted of the racially motivated murder of Ross Parker
- Sayfuz Ali, British-Bangladeshi singer-songwriter
- Shahalom Ali, better known as Ali Shahalom, comedian and television presenter
- Shohid Ali, Bengali advocate
- Somy Ali, Bollywood actress
- Sonni Ali, first king of the West African Songhai empire
- Syed Mohammad Ali, founder of The Daily Star – the largest circulating daily English-language newspaper in Bangladesh.
- Syed Mohsin Ali, former Minister of Social Welfare
- Syed Mujtaba Ali, author, journalist, travel enthusiast, academician, scholar and linguist
- Syed Murtaza Ali, Bengali writer and historian
- Tatyana Ali, American actress and singer
Derived names
Male
- Abdul Ali
- Ali Reza
- Barkat Ali
- Mehmet Ali
Female
- Aliye
Entertainment
Stage name or pseudonym
- Ali
- Ali
- Ali, aka Ali Jones, American rapper
- Ali
- Ali, ring name of Pakistani-American professional wrestler Adeel Alam
- Ali B, Dutch rapper
- Ali B, British DJ
- Ali Bongo , stage name of British comedy magician William Wallace
- Ali G, stage persona used by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen
- Ali Hassan, Indian television actor
- Ali Official, British-Bangladeshi comedian
- Big Ali, American rapper and DJ
Fictional characters
- Ali, a Chinese cartoon character
- Ali, 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
- Ali, a character in '[The Land Before Time IV: Journey to the Mists''