Kali is a distinctive boys' name in United States, ranking #4318 in 2025 with 24 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2020 with 43 births ranking #2820. Since 1996, the popularity has increased by 118.2%. In 2025, approximately 1 in every 71,170 boys born was named Kali. FALLING Recent data shows the name is currently falling.
Kali has more than one accepted route. In Hindu tradition it comes from Sanskrit and means the black one, while in modern English use it can also be treated as a variant of Callie or Kaylee.
The Sanskrit-rooted form carries a powerful mythological background through the goddess Kali. At the same time, modern English naming has also used Kali as a softer phonetic variant of familiar girls’ names, so the intended origin matters.