How Many People Are Named Kali?
An estimated 31,803 people in the United States have the first name Kali. It is predominantly female (97.3%). The average bearer is 19 years old, and Kali peaked in popularity in 2019 with 1,352 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kali as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Kali paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Kali is overwhelmingly female, 887 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
31,803
About 1 in 10,777 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
97.3% confidence
Average Age
19
years old
Peak Year
2019
1,352 births
Total Registered
32,455
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kali
Kali is predominantly female (97.3%), though 887 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Kali as a male name
Ranked #4,244 in 2024
25 male births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (43 births)
Kali as a female name
Ranked #294 in 2024
1,066 female births in 2024
Peak: 2019 (1,311 births)
Kali in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 23,482 people with the first name Kali, which placed it at #1,444 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Kali was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 23,482 people with this name in that snapshot, 3.0% were male and 97.0% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 97.3% of the time.
Census Count
23,482
people with this name
Census Rank
#1,444
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
7.77
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Kali was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.91%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (17.71%) and Hispanic (8.61%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Kali in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Kali.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 62.91% | 14,773 |
| Black | 17.71% | 4,159 |
| Hispanic | 8.61% | 2,021 |
| Two or More Races | 7.34% | 1,723 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.47% | 580 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.96% | 226 |
Kali: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kali span from the 1950s to the 2020s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 10,164 babies were registered. While Kali is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Kali by Decade
How has Kali tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Kali by State
Birth registrations for Kali span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Florida. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Hawaii. On average, about 578 Kalis were registered per state.
Kali + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kali as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kali
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kali: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kali?
We estimate approximately 31,803 people named Kali are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 10,777 Americans share this first name.
Is Kali a common name?
Kali is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 32,455 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kali most popular?
Kali reached peak popularity in 2019, when 1,352 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kali is approximately 19 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Kali in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 23,482 people with the first name Kali. That placed it at #1,444 in the published Census first-name tables, or 7.77 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Kali was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kali?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Kali was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 3.0% male and 97.0% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kali?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Kali was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (62.91%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (17.71%) and Hispanic (8.61%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Kali a female name?
Kali is predominantly female. 97.3% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Kali have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Kali peaked in 2019, and the average living bearer is about 19 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Kali Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kali Smith, Kali Johnson, Kali Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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