Name
Kali
Meaning
Kali is a feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning “the black one”.
Kali is the fierce Hindu goddess whose name means the black one, from the Sanskrit kala, black, with a secondary resonance of time the devourer. Western parents often arrive at the name through its sound, identical to the breezy Cali, but its theological weight is anything but casual.
Appears regularly in the US girls' top 1000, boosted by the Cali sound-alike trend.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #323 in 2025 · peak #241 in 2019
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /KAH-lee/
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Questions
Kali is a feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning “the black one”. Kali is the fierce Hindu goddess whose name means the black one, from the Sanskrit kala, black, with a secondary resonance of time the devourer.
Kali is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. Appears regularly in the US girls' top 1000, boosted by the Cali sound-alike trend.
The name Kali comes from Sanskrit. Kali is the fierce Hindu goddess whose name means the black one, from the Sanskrit kala, black, with a secondary resonance of time the devourer. Western parents often arrive at the name through its sound, identical to the breezy Cali, but its theological weight is anything but casual.
Kali is pronounced KAH-lee.
More names that mean dark
Names that share this meaning.