Ali — Name Meaning in Islam

Root: ع-ل-و (ʿ-l-w), "to be high, to rise". ʿAlī is an intensive adjective (faʿīl): high, elevated, lofty in rank — not merely tall, but exalted in standing.

From the same root: ʿālī (high), aʿlā (highest, as in Surah al-Aʿlā), taʿālā (Exalted is He), ʿulūw (elevation), and al-ʿAlī — one of the ninety-nine names of Allah, the Most High.

Who carried it: Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's ﷺ cousin, raised in his household, married to his daughter Fatima, and the fourth caliph. He is one of the most frequently cited transmitters in the sources on judgement and jurisprudence.

Spellings: Ali, Aly, Ali (Turkish, identical), Ali (Indonesian), علي.

Pronunciation: ʿa-LEE — the opening letter is ʿayn, a constricted sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; the common English "AH-lee" drops it.

Compounds: Ali is very often the second element of a compound name — Muhammad Ali, Ali Riza, Ali Hasan.

Feminine counterpart: ʿAliyya (عليّة), ʿUlyā.