Crowley intentionally changed his name to rhyme with holy

A chosen name, shaped for the ear

Edward Alexander Crowley’s public name changed in two ways: he adopted Aleister as his first name, and he favored a particular way of saying his surname. “Crowley,” in his preferred pronunciation, ends with the same sound as “holy”—“lee”—rather than the “ly” sound in “foully.” The spelling alone does not make that distinction obvious, so the spoken version mattered.

Why the pronunciation matters

A name is not only something printed on a page; it is also a sound people repeat. By choosing both a different first name and a preferred pronunciation, Crowley gave his public identity a form distinct from “Edward Alexander Crowley.” The choice is a small but deliberate act of self-presentation: even the way his surname was spoken was part of how he wanted to be known.