| Ali | Jamal | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Exalted, noble | Beauty, handsome |
| Origin | Arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AH-lee | juh-MAHL |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1914 | 1946 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,124) | 1993 (1,245) |
| In 2025 | 1,116 | 169 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ali | Jamal |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6,347 | 1,268 |
| 2010s | 9,865 | 3,266 |
| 2000s | 7,735 | 5,898 |
| 1990s | 5,140 | 10,265 |
| 1980s | 2,846 | 7,187 |
| 1970s | 1,733 | 4,691 |
| 1960s | 408 | 558 |
| 1950s | 166 | 91 |
| 1940s | 65 | 11 |
| 1930s | 50 | 0 |
| 1920s | 23 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 0 |
Ali means “exalted,” “noble” or “sublime” in Arabic.
From Arabic جمال (jamāl), the abstract noun 'beauty', from the root j-m-l. Jamal is the masculine name built directly on this root and is well established as 'beauty' or 'handsome'.
Ali is more popular than Jamal today: about 1,116 US babies were given the name Ali in 2025, compared with 169 named Jamal.
Ali means Exalted, noble (Arabic origin), while Jamal means Beauty, handsome (arabic origin).
In US records, Ali first appears in 1914 and Jamal in 1946, so Ali has the longer recorded history.