Unisex name · Sanskrit
Kali
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: the black oneKali is a gender-neutral name that comes from Sanskrit and means "the black one". It is used in Indian.
- Meaning
- The black one
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #323 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kali
As a gender-neutral name, Kali comes from Sanskrit and means "the black one". It is used in Indian.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Kali on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Kali on 2 lists.
“The black one; fierce goddess of time, change and destruction, so not a name for a joke or a pet”
From Goddess names, hindu goddess names
“The black one; Sanskrit, the Hindu goddess of time”
From Names that mean shadow, unisex names that mean dark
How popular is Kali?
In 2025, 948 girls and 24 boys in the US were named Kali.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #323
- 948 babies, 590 per million girls
- Best rank
- #242 in 2019
- 1,312 babies that year
- Babies since 1957
- At least 32,527
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 1 per million |
| 1960s | 5 per million |
| 1970s | 34 per million |
| 1980s | 160 per million |
| 1990s | 380 per million |
| 2000s | 312 per million |
| 2010s | 566 per million |
| 2020s | 681 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #300 | #302 | #274 | #242 | #253 | #284 | #250 | #291 | #295 | #323 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #4,318
- 24 babies, 14 per million boys
- Best rank
- #2,167 in 1974
- Most babies: 43 in 2020
- Babies since 1970
- At least 911
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 8 per million |
| 1980s | 4 per million |
| 1990s | 6 per million |
| 2000s | 7 per million |
| 2010s | 14 per million |
| 2020s | 19 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,331 | #3,159 | #3,478 | #2,965 | #2,820 | #2,888 | #3,822 | #3,843 | #4,261 | #4,318 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Kali
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- KaiThe sea (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KaleFree man (Germanic, boy)
- KaleiThe lei (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KauʻiThe youthful one (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KabirGreat (Arabic, boy)
- KaiaPet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine (Greek, girl)
- KalinaViburnum shrub (Slavic, girl)
- KamilPerfect, complete (Arabic, boy)
- KarimGenerous, noble (Arabic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MelaniaBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- MelanieBlack, dark (Greek, girl)
- AdhamBlack, dark (Arabic, boy)
- BlakeFrom a surname meaning black or pale (Old English, unisex)
- CharnaBlack (Yiddish, girl)
- CiarBlack, dark (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- EbonyBlack wood (English, girl)
- JettJet black stone (English, unisex)
- KiaraVariant of Ciara, black, or Italian Chiara, bright (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- KolbjörnCoal-black bear (Old Norse, boy)
- KolbrúnBlack brow (Old Norse, girl)
- KrishnaBlack, dark (Sanskrit, boy)
- RavenBlack bird (Old English, unisex)
- SableBlack (English, girl)
- SawdaBlack (Arabic, girl)
Middle names for Kali
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Sanskrit
- AryaNoble, honorable (Sanskrit, unisex)
- BodhiEnlightenment (Sanskrit, boy)
- AadhyaFirst, primal (Sanskrit, girl)
- AarohiAscending, a rising musical scale (Sanskrit, girl)
- AbhaSplendor, light (Sanskrit, girl)
- AbhayFearless (Sanskrit, boy)
- AbhilashDesire, wish (Sanskrit, boy)
- AbhilashaDesire, wish (Sanskrit, girl)
- AditiBoundless, limitless (Sanskrit, girl)
- AdityaSon of Aditi; the sun (Sanskrit, boy)
- AdvaitNon-duality (Sanskrit, boy)
- AgniFire (Sanskrit, boy)
- AishwaryaProsperity, power (Sanskrit, girl)
- AjayUnconquered, invincible (Sanskrit, boy)
- AkankshaWish, aspiration (Sanskrit, girl)
- AkashThe sky (Sanskrit, boy)
- AkshayIndestructible, imperishable (Sanskrit, boy)
- AlokLight, vision (Sanskrit, boy)
Kali: common questions
What does the name Kali mean?
Kali comes from Sanskrit and means "the black one".
Is Kali a boy or girl name?
Kali is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 948 girls and 24 boys in the US were named Kali, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Kali come from?
Kali comes from Sanskrit and means "the black one". Today it is used in Indian.
How popular is the name Kali?
Kali ranked #323 in the US in 2025, with 948 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Kali?
Names spelled like Kali include Kai, Kale, Kalei, Kauʻi and Kabir.
What middle names go with Kali?
Middle names that flow well with Kali include Belle, Cedar, Claire, Elowen and Louis. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.