Given name & surname
Kaley
“the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force”·“one who provides comfort”
Kaley is a variant of Kali. Interpretations include “the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force” (Hindi) and “one who provides comfort”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kaley is a variant of Kali. Interpretations include “the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force” (Hindi) and “one who provides comfort”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Kaley is a variant of Kali. An origin associated with Kali is Hindi.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Kaley is used as a spelling variant of Kayley.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1967. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kaley through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,707
- 25 boys · 13,682 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 578 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,866 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −54%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,866 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 53.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 578 in 2003. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (6 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,428 as a first name in 2020; 924 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kaley’s family of names
Kaley has a related form in Kali. Kaley has a related form in Kaila. Kaley has a related form in Kaleigh.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kaley
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kaley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kialey
>99% girls
Kamri
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Cate
“one who is pure; virginal”
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Keilah
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Cadence
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Kyia
>99% girls
Kalia
Kalia is a surname from Punjabi. It is used in English and Hawaiian.
>99% girls