Kali
Kali was the 323rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 948 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 242nd with 1,312 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 56 places. More babies were named Kali in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin · Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English
Say it KAH-lee /ˈkɑli/
- Rank in 2025
- #323 girls, down 70 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 948girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20191,312 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,438babies recorded
What does the name Kali mean?
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
Kali popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 911 since 1970, 24 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #323 | 948 |
| 2020 | #253 | 1,181 |
| 2010 | #537 | 545 |
| 2000 | #427 | 660 |
| 1990 | #444 | 558 |
| 1980 | #1,376 | 91 |
| 1970 | #2,472 | 30 |
| 1960 | #5,413 | 7 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kali, counting every spelling?
Kali is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #187 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #323 for Kali 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 Kali?
948 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kali (0.26 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kali 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 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kali.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kali?
About 32,100 people born in the US named Kali are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 8 and 29. That makes Kali mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Kali by state
How common Kali was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (4.2×), Louisiana (3.6×), Delaware (3.4×), South Carolina (3.0×), Georgia (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Iowa, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kali: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kali, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kali · Sibling names for Kali
Questions about the name Kali
What does Kali mean?
Kali means “the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin” (Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kali?
Kali was the 323rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 948 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 242nd with 1,312 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 56 places. More babies were named Kali in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kali a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kali in the US.
Where is Kali most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kali was most common in Mississippi (2.84 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and Delaware.