Cali
Cali was the 574th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 518 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 202nd with 1,664 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 342 places. More babies were named Cali in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kali) the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin · Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English
- Rank in 2025
- #574 girls, down 280 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 518girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20141,664 babies
- Total since 1880
- 23,745babies recorded
What does the name Cali mean?
Cali is a spelling of Kali, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kali's meaning and origin.
Kali has several separate sources. In Sanskrit, Kālī is the name of the Hindu goddess, the feminine of kāla, "black" (also "time"); Wiktionary lists it as a given name used especially in India. Yonge's 1884 index records Kali as a Hungarian pet form of Katalin (Catherine). In the US it is also used as a spelling of Callie. Which source applies depends on the family.
काली (Sanskrit, “the black one; name of a goddess”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several unrelated sources share the spelling.
Related names: Callie, Kaley, Kalika.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kali', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Kali' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Kali', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Cali popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 403 since 1979, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #574 | 518 |
| 2020 | #294 | 1,089 |
| 2010 | #416 | 757 |
| 2000 | #817 | 277 |
| 1990 | #1,164 | 148 |
| 1980 | #3,007 | 29 |
| 1970 | #6,438 | 7 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cali, counting every spelling?
Cali is a spelling of Kali, a name family that ranked #187 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #574 for Cali on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,846 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kali | 948 | #323 | 5,444 |
| Cali | 518 | #574 | 3,636 |
| Kaleah | 152 | #1,425 | 868 |
| Kalea | 185 | #1,224 | 800 |
| Caleah | 32 | #4,374 | 146 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cali?
518 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cali (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cali born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cali.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cali?
About 23,100 people born in the US named Cali are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 7 and 18. That makes Cali a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cali by state
How common Cali was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (3.3×), Louisiana (2.8×), Maryland (2.1×), Alabama (2.1×), South Carolina (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cali: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cali, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cali
What does Cali mean?
Cali is a spelling of Kali, which means “the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin” (Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Cali?
Cali was the 574th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 518 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 202nd with 1,664 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 342 places. More babies were named Cali in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cali a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cali in the US.
Where is Cali most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cali was most common in Mississippi (1.50 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and Rhode Island.