Girls' name · peaked in 2019
Kali name popularity since 1925
33,438 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Kali (97.3% girls, 2.7% boys). Half of them were born in 2010 or earlier, so the typical Kali is about 16 years old in 2026. Kali peaked in 2019 as the #242 name for girls, and it ranked #323 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 33,438
- Named Kali, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #323
- for girls in 2025 (948 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 97.3% girls
- 32,527 girls · 911 boys
- Most popular in
- Louisiana
- 1.65× its national share
Peak year is the year Kali made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Kali births per year, 1925–2025
2019 was the biggest year for Kali both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1981 and 1986, Kali became 2.7× more common, from 1 in 12,900 baby girls to 1 in 4,780.
- Steepest fall: Between 1997 and 2002, its share of baby girls fell by 40%, from 1 in 2,180 to 1 in 3,630.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Kali's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Kali.
Decade by decade
Babies named Kali in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 21 | 0 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 87 | 0 | #6,122 |
| 1970s | 526 | 132 | #1,594 |
| 1980s | 2,752 | 71 | #591 |
| 1990s | 6,848 | 112 | #348 |
| 2000s | 5,759 | 145 | #526 |
| 2010s | 9,909 | 258 | #267 |
| 2020–25 | 6,625 | 193 | #323 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 girls got the name.
Generation fingerprint
45.0% of babies named Kali from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Kali is most popular
The index compares Kali's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Kali.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 1.65× | 914 |
| Florida | 1.64× | 1,822 |
| Georgia | 1.64× | 1,396 |
| Utah | 1.46× | 382 |
| Arizona | 1.39× | 554 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Kali and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Kali (this page) | 32,527 | 2019 |
| Cali | 23,342 | 2014 |
| Kaley | 13,682 | 2003 |
| Kallie | 12,678 | 2014 |
| Kalli | 5,317 | 2007 |
| Kalie | 5,313 | 1998 |
| Kalee | 3,883 | 1999 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Kali's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Kali.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Kali (2019).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data