Kali

KAH-lee; kal-ee

Sanskrit, English

"black one; free man"

Kali Origin and Meaning

The name Kali is a girl's name of Sanskrit origin meaning "black one; free man".

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.

Kali Rank in US Top 1000

# 294 in the US

Kali Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1449 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Kali

• 294 US 2024
• 1449 Nameberry 2025
• 227 Future 2028
• 846 England 2024

20 Names Similar to Kali

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Kali.

• Kailani
• Khaleesi
• Armani
• Kora
• Kalani
• Neveah
• Dalilah
• Naya
• Leilani
• Keilani
• Lailani
• Nevaeh
• Kaya
• Zuri
• Kehlani
• Nala
• Amora
• Melani
• Khalani
• Nyla

Famous People Named Kali

• 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

The name 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