Ali is a distinctive choice, ranked #5892 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Ali in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#5892
US Rank #323
About the Name Ali
Ali has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 5751 places in five years. It was most popular in 2002 at #123 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Ali is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #323, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Ali
Unlikely. With around 3 UK babies named Ali per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Ali in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Ali has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 5751 places in the last five years. Its peak was #123 in 2002. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Ali is more popular in the US (#323) than in the UK (#5892). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Ali include: Irfaan Ali — Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a Guyanese politician serving as the tenth and current president of Guyana since 2020.; Ali-A — Alastair Aiken, better known by his online alias Ali-A (or by his original alias Matroix), is a British YouTuber known for Call of Duty and Fortnite...; Muhammad Ali — Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist..
Ali appears in the US top 500 at #323 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
3
UK babies named Ali (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
< 1
In a school of 600
↓ 5751 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Ali
Likely around 1 other Ali in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Ali
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Mohamed Irfaan Ali is a Guyanese politician serving as the tenth and current president of Guyana since 2020. A member of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), he previously served as the minister of Housing and Water from 2009 to 2015.
Alastair Aiken, better known by his online alias Ali-A (or by his original alias Matroix), is a British YouTuber known for Call of Duty and Fortnite commentaries and vlogs. His main channel has a subscriber count of approximately 19 million.
Ali Dayeh Ali served as an Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party official in Dujail in 1982, where he was accused of involvement in the executions of 148 Shia Muslims in the area. He was tried alongside Saddam Hussein and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity.
Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "the Greatest", he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Arabic: زَيْن الْعَابِدِين بْن عَلِيّ, romanized: Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn bin ʿAliyy, Tunisian Arabic: Zīn il-ʿĀbdīn bin ʿAlī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali or Ezzine, was a Tunisian politician, military officer and dictator who served as the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. In that year, during the Tunisian revolution, he was overthrown and fled to Saudi Arabia.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (Arabic: عليّ بن أبي طالب, romanized: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib; c. 600 – 661 CE) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from 656 CE until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam.
Ali Hosseini Khamenei was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in the 2026 Iran war. A member of the Khamenei family, he previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989.