| Ahmad | Ali | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | most praiseworthy | Exalted, noble |
| Origin | arabic | Arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AH-mad | AH-lee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1950 | 1914 |
| Peak year | 2001 (662) | 2022 (1,124) |
| In 2025 | 407 | 1,116 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ahmad | Ali |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,462 | 6,347 |
| 2010s | 4,713 | 9,865 |
| 2000s | 5,387 | 7,735 |
| 1990s | 3,923 | 5,140 |
| 1980s | 2,314 | 2,846 |
| 1970s | 1,287 | 1,733 |
| 1960s | 205 | 408 |
| 1950s | 57 | 166 |
| 1940s | 0 | 65 |
| 1930s | 0 | 50 |
| 1920s | 0 | 23 |
| 1910s | 0 | 5 |
From the root h-m-d (ح-م-د, 'to praise'), a superlative meaning 'most praiseworthy, most commendable'. It shares its root with the name Muhammad and is itself cited as one of the names of the Prophet. Also spelled Ahmed.
Ali means “exalted,” “noble” or “sublime” in Arabic.
Ali is more popular than Ahmad today: about 1,116 US babies were given the name Ali in 2025, compared with 407 named Ahmad.
Ahmad means most praiseworthy (arabic origin), while Ali means Exalted, noble (Arabic origin).
In US records, Ahmad first appears in 1950 and Ali in 1914, so Ali has the longer recorded history.