Given name · Ottoman Turkish · Persian · Urdu
علی
“the great one; one who is exalted”
علی ('alī) is a masculine given name from Classical Persian, ultimately from Arabic. It is used in Urdu, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish.
Ottoman Turkish and Persian and UrduWritten in Arabic script, read right to left. In English: Ali.
Meaning & origin
What it means
علی is Ali written in Arabic script. One Arabic interpretation is “the great one; one who is exalted.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
علی comes from Classical Persian, and ultimately from Arabic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Classical Persian عَلِی, from Arabic عَلِيّ; its root is Arabic ع ل ي.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
علی’s family of names
In Persian usage, علی has a conventional equivalent in the English form Ali.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Around the world
علی has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Arabic roots to each of them.
4 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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