Given name & surname · also Hindi
Kali
“the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force”·“one who provides comfort”
Kali is used as a given name and a surname. 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
Interpretations include “the dark one; in Hinduism, a destructive force” (Hindi) and “one who provides comfort”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hindi.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kali through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 33,438
- 911 boys · 32,527 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 1,353 babies
- 2025
- 972
- #323 for girls · #4,318 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 948 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 323 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 7.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,312 in 2019. It also appeared in 24 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (91). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 23,482 as a first name in 2020; 400 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.
Kali’s family of names
In Greenlandic usage, Kali was borrowed from the Danish form Christen. Kali has a related form in Kaleigh. Kali has a related form in Kaley.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Kali has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hindi roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
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 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kali
- Kali RochaAmerican actressborn 1971
- Kali ReisAmerican boxer and actressborn 1986
- Kali Christspeed skaterborn 1991
- Kali FlanaganAmerican ice hockey player (born 1995)
- Kali HawkAmerican actressborn 1986
- Kali MeehanAustralian boxerborn 1970
- Kali Charan BanerjeeIndian politician1847–1907
- Kali MaloneAmerican composer and musicianborn 1994
- Kali MountfordBritish politician (born 1954)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kali, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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