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