girl's name · in the US
Cali
KAL-ee (English)
- Origin Greek, American
- Gender Girl (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 29,480
the United States
#575
2025 births
Cali is a girl's name with several possible sources. It's a short form of Calista, from the Greek for "most beautiful"; a nickname for California; and the name of a city in Colombia. The spelling works as a full name too.
- Cali is a name of Greek, American origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 1,688 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,220 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1959.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cali Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 6 |
| 1960s | 41 |
| 1970s | 175 |
| 1980s | 715 |
| 1990s | 1,651 |
| 2000s | 4,566 |
| 2010s | 11,708 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,883 |
What Cali Means
Cali is most often read as beautiful, through the Greek kallos and names such as Calista. As a place name it instead suggests sunshine and the American West, a sense that The Bump mentions.
Where Cali Comes From
Greek kallos, beauty, gave kallistos, most beautiful, and Calista and Callista are forms of it. English speakers shortened those to Callie and Cali. California's name comes from a sixteenth-century Spanish romance, an imagined island ruled by Queen Calafia, and Cali is a common nickname. Colombia's city of Cali has an unrelated name, usually explained through Indigenous words. House of Names reports an Italian surname Cali, linking it to Greek. Mama Natural's young warrior reading lacks support. As a name it depends on sound and on the sunny place association.
Cali in Use
Its appearance in many markets, from Northern Ireland to the United States, reflects how easily it crosses language lines.
How Popular Is Cali?
In 2025, Cali was given to 533 babies in the United States, ranking #575 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Cali Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Cali
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Cali Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cali over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Cali is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Girls' 97% girls · 9,744 babies
- France Both 88% girls · 1,020 babies
- Canada Girls' 98% girls · 787 babies
- England & Wales Girls' 95% girls · 726 babies
- Scotland Girls' 100% girls · 192 babies
- Ireland Girls' 100% girls · 93 babies
- Northern Ireland Girls' 100% girls · 50 babies
How to Say Cali
- English KAL-ee
Cali in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Cali
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Cali — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Cali
What does the name Cali mean?
It's usually read as beautiful, through Calista.
Is Cali short for California?
It can be, and it's also short for Calista.
How do you pronounce Cali?
KAL-ee.
How popular is the name Cali?
In 2025, Cali was given to 533 babies in the United States, ranking #575 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Cali a girl's or a boy's name?
Cali is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cali?
Cali has 2 syllables.
When was Cali most popular?
Cali peaked in 2014, when 1,688 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Cali a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cali currently ranks #208 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.