Kali
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
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).
Kali for girls#323 US
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 for boys#4318 US
Kali is a popular girls' name in the US with dark origins: She is the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, though we'd wager many parents see the name as simply a respelling of Callie.
About 30 baby boys were named Kali last year, making it one of the few boys' names that started as a female name and is now being adopted for boys.
Pronounced KAH-lee.
As of October 2026, Kali ranked #323 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #242 in 2019, Nameberry popularity #662.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #261 | 1,260 | #4,192 | 24 |
| 2015 | #267 | 1,186 | #3,636 | 30 |
| 2016 | #300 | 1,086 | #3,331 | 34 |
| 2017 | #302 | 1,089 | #3,158 | 37 |
| 2018 | #274 | 1,207 | #3,478 | 32 |
| 2019 | #242 | 1,311 | #2,963 | 41 |
| 2020 | #253 | 1,181 | #2,820 | 43 |
| 2021 | #283 | 1,123 | #2,888 | 43 |
| 2022 | #250 | 1,228 | #3,820 | 29 |
| 2023 | #290 | 1,071 | #3,838 | 29 |
| 2024 | #294 | 1,066 | #4,244 | 25 |
| 2025 | #323 | 948 | #4,318 | 24 |
World rankings
Kali for girls
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Kali on lists
Famous Kalis
- Kali HawkGirl
American actress (pronounced like Callie)
- Kali Uchis (born Karly Loaiza)Girl
Colombian,American singer
- Kali Ann RobinsonGirl
Clark (b. 2019), daughter of We The Kings frontman Travis Clark and actress Jenny Robinson,Clark
Kali in pop culture
- KaliGirl
character on TV's "Teen Wolf"
- KaliGirl
character on TV's "Supernatural"
- Madame Kali aka Evelyn PooleGirl
character on TV's "Penny Dreadful"
- KaliGirl
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 BelladonnaGirl
character on Rooster Teeth's "RWBY"
- Kali PrasadGirl
character on Netflix's Stranger Things