Girl · #299 in 2026

Kali

Name: Popularity of the name Kali in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Kali, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Kali is an Indian given name and surname of Sanskrit origins from the name Kālá. It is also a Finnish masculine given name that is a form of Kalle. Notable people with this name include the following:

Current Rank

#299

Peak Rank

#242 (2019)

Total Babies

34K

5-Yr Trend

-7%

1957

First Year

2026

Last Year

2019

Peak Year

#242

Peak Rank

34K

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kali

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Kali

Kali first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1957, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 1,311 Kalis were born — ranking #242 that year. As of 2026, Kali ranks #299 for baby girls with 1,055 births, gradually falling (-7%). In total, more than 34K Kalis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Kali

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kali is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Cali
Collie
Colly
Colley
Kolli
Qali
Callie
Cowley
Cawley
Cauley
Cauli
Cally

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kali

What does the name Kali mean?

How popular is Kali in 2026?

In 2026, Kali ranks #299 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,055 babies given the name that year.

When was Kali most popular?

Kali reached its peak popularity in 2019, ranking #242 that year with 1,311 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Kali most popular?

Kali has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kali.

Is Kali a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Kali is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Kali?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kali include Corinne, Lacy, Laurel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kali

Kali is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 34K births in the dataset. Kali's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #242. Use the chart and map above to compare Kali's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.