Kali
Top 1000
About Kali
Kali is a number of different things: a playful, contemporary twist on the name Callie; the Hindu goddess of destruction; an alternative spelling for Kaylee; a short form of the Arablic Kalila, the Greek Kalista, or the African American Kaliyah; a masculine name in India; and a trendy form of Kali(fornia).
It is also in the US Top 1000 and while it has seen a slight decline in recent years, it is still given to nearly 1100 babies every year. Ranking behind Callie but ahead of Kallie and Cali, it's short, punchy spelling might appeal to lovers of Nova, Maya, Zuri, and Heidi.
Pronounced KAH-lee.
As of October 2026, Kali ranked #323 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #242 in 2019, Nameberry popularity #662.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #261 | 1,260 | 705.3 |
| 2015 | #267 | 1,186 | 664.4 |
| 2016 | #300 | 1,086 | 612.9 |
| 2017 | #302 | 1,089 | 630.8 |
| 2018 | #274 | 1,207 | 709.6 |
| 2019 | #242 | 1,311 | 781.1 |
| 2020 | #253 | 1,181 | 730.6 |
| 2021 | #283 | 1,123 | 684.4 |
| 2022 | #250 | 1,228 | 748.7 |
| 2023 | #290 | 1,071 | 667.5 |
| 2024 | #294 | 1,066 | 657.9 |
| 2025 | #323 | 948 | 589.8 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Kali.
- Kailani
- Alyx
- Armani
- Khaleesi
- Naya
- Nyla
- Neveah
- Zahara
- Khalani
- Akira
- Zuri
- Nevaeh
- Nala
- Alani
- Amari
- Amora
- Kalani
- Kaya
- Abrielle
- Kehlani
Kali on lists
Famous Kalis
- Kali Hawk
American actress (pronounced like Callie)
- Kali Uchis (born Karly Loaiza)
Colombian,American singer
- Kali Ann Robinson
Clark (b. 2019), daughter of We The Kings frontman Travis Clark and actress Jenny Robinson,Clark
Kali in pop culture
- Kali
character on TV's "Teen Wolf"
- Kali
character on TV's "Supernatural"
- Madame Kali aka Evelyn Poole
character on TV's "Penny Dreadful"
- Kali
the Hindu goddess who wears a necklace of skulls that can instantaneously change into blooming flowers and then back to skulls again. She is usually depicted with four hands; one of her right hands says "Don't be afraid" and the other offers you a bowl of rice. However, one of her left hands holds a sword and in the other is a human head. Kali brings love, ecstasy, and life, but she also brings darkness, terror, and death. She is the natural cycle of life and death.
- Kali Belladonna
character on Rooster Teeth's "RWBY"
- Kali Prasad
character on Netflix's Stranger Things