<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Other names </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Variant form (s) </Th> <Td> Aly, Alli, Alley, Allie, Ally </Td> </Tr> <P> Ali (Arabic: علي ‎, ʿAlī) is a male Arabic name derived from the Arabic root ʕ - l-w, which literally means "high", "elevated" or "champion". It is a common name in Arab countries and the rest of the Muslim world . Islamic traditional use of the name goes back to the Islamic leader Ali ibn Abi Talib but the name is identical in form and meaning to the Hebrew: עֵלִי ‎, Eli, which goes back to the High Priest Eli in the biblical Books of Samuel . </P> <P> The name Ali also arises in other traditions . Among English - speakers as short for male and female names starting with "Al -", or the Old Norse man's name Áli . It can also be an English nickname, as a shortened form of Alice, Alison, Alistair, Alexander, or Alexandra . </P>

Where does the last name ali come from