2000
#17,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Alli
A surname of Indian origin signifying a protector or high born person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,569 Americans carry the last name Alli. That puts it at #13,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alli surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,419
Census rank
#13,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,240 bearers of the surname Alli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alli, the largest self-reported group is Black at 35.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.8%) and White (21.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alli
The surname ALLI is believed to have originated in India and can be traced back to the 9th century AD. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "ali," which translates to "beautiful" or "lovely." The name was initially found in the northern regions of India, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In the ancient Hindu scriptures, the name ALLI is mentioned as a feminine name, often associated with goddesses and deities revered for their beauty and grace. This connection to divinity and spirituality may have contributed to the name's adoption as a surname.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname ALLI can be found in the Khajuraho Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple inscriptions, dating back to the 10th century, include references to individuals bearing the name ALLI.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the surname ALLI was associated with individuals who held positions of authority and prestige. For instance, Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal, had a court minister named Mir Jumla Alli Khan (1609-1666).
In the 18th century, the name ALLI gained prominence in the region of Bengal, where it was associated with prominent figures in the literary and cultural spheres. One notable figure was Mir Mohammed Alli (1703-1786), a renowned poet and scholar of Persian and Arabic literature.
As the Indian diaspora spread across the globe, the surname ALLI traveled with them. In the 19th century, individuals with the surname ALLI can be found in various records and documents in countries such as South Africa and Mauritius, where Indian communities had established themselves.
Another notable figure was Sir Ardesir Alli (1865-1945), an Indian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Karachi, Pakistan. He was knighted by the British Empire in 1926 for his philanthropic efforts.
In more recent times, the name ALLI has gained recognition in the field of sports. One prominent example is Mohammed Alli (born 1942), an Indian field hockey player who represented India in multiple Olympic Games and was part of the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alli
Among Census respondents with the surname Alli, the largest self-reported group is Black at 35.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.8%) and White (21.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Alli bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American35.9% · 805
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.8% · 601
- White21.1% · 472
- Two or more races8.8% · 198
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alli
Alli appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,931
+391 bearers (+25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 1,765 places
2020
#13,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
+309 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 2,143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,001 | 1,540 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,236 | 1,931 | 0.65 | +391 bearers (+25.4%) | Up 1,765 places |
| 2020 | #13,093 | 2,240 | 0.75 | +309 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 2,143 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alli surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,236 | #13,093 | 14.1% |
| Count | 1,931 | 2,240 | 16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.75 | 15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alli bearers went from 1,931 to 2,240 (+16.0% change). The surname moved up 2,143 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,236 to #13,093.
FAQ
Alli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alli?
Name Census estimates that about 2,569 living Americans carry the surname Alli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,419 residents.
How common is Alli?
Alli ranks #13,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,240 people with the surname Alli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,569), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alli.
Has Alli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alli went from 1,931 recorded bearers to 2,240. That is an increase of 309 (+16.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,236 to #13,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Alli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alli, the largest self-reported group is Black at 35.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.8%) and White (21.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 35.9% (805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (35.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (26.8%), White (21.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alli (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alli mean?
A surname of Indian origin signifying a protector or high born person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alli (0.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Alli?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.