Total births
23,342
Girls' name · since 1959
Cali
Cali has 23,342 recorded births since 1959 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2014 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #493
- among girls today
- 23,342
- born since 1959
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Cali currently ranks #493 among girls' names in America, with 23,342 babies recorded since 1959.
Cali has 23,342 recorded births among girls since 1959, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #493 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1959 to 2025.
- #493 among girls today
- 23,342 born since 1959
- 2010s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cali is currently the #493 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 23,342 born since 1959, peaking in the 2010s.
- #493
- among girls today
- 23,342
- born since 1959
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Cali vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#493
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
49% of everyone ever named Cali was born in this single decade.
2014
Single peak year
1,664 babies were named Cali in 2014 - its busiest year on record.
How Cali compares
23,342 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cali's all-time total is 61x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cali | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 23,342 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,664 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cali's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cali splits its recorded history at 1994: 94% of all births land in the more recent half, 6% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1962 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2014 peak of 1,664 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cali at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2014
Current rank
#493
Active since
1959
Cali popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1959–2025
- Peak year (2014)
- 1,664
- Annual births at peak, across 67 years of records
Cali popularity over time - boys
403 total births recorded since 1979 (Cali as boys' name)
Cali by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Cali's strongest decade.
11,486 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 49% of all-time use.
Cali births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 6
1950s
6 births
- 1960s 41
1960s
41 births
- 1970s 169
1970s
169 births
- 1980s 715
1980s
715 births
- 1990s 1,651
1990s
1,651 births
- 2000s 4,549
2000s
4,549 births
- 2010s
2010s
11,486 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,725 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 11,486 births (49% of all-time use).
How Cali compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cali's total volume
Cali vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cali by state
Where Cali concentrates geographically, total births since 1959
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,147 | 13.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,653 | 7.1% |
| #3 | Florida | | 1,490 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,063 | 4.6% |
| #5 | New York | | 1,032 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 986 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 849 | 3.6% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 794 | 3.4% |
California share of Cali's total US births 13.5%
Even split
3,147 of 23,342 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Cali appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cali? ▼
Cali has been given to 23,342 babies in the U.S. since 1959, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #493 as of the latest data. 1,664 babies were born in 2014, its single highest year.
When was Cali most popular? ▼
Cali was most popular in the 2010s decade with 11,486 total births. The single peak year was 2014.
Where is Cali most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cali are California (3,147 births), Texas (1,653 births), Florida (1,490 births).
How long has the name Cali been used? ▼
Records for Cali go back to 1959, giving 67 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cali? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Callie, Calista, Calliope, Caleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cali's data
- Cali's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (11,486 total births) through the 2020s (4,725) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Calis (3,147 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cali
Nearby Names Like Cali
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cali
Callie Girl
#176 70,190 births
Calista Girl
#1453 7,504 births
Calliope Girl
#498 6,098 births
Caleigh Girl
#2711 5,768 births
Calli Girl
#4919 4,517 births
Compare Cali side by side: Cali vs Callie Cali vs Calista Cali vs Calliope
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cali
Meredith #492
77,787 births · Peak 1980
Mckenzie #494
64,779 births · Peak 2000
Mariam #491
18,555 births · Peak 2024
Amanda #495
790,638 births · Peak 1987
Scarlet #490
17,709 births · Peak 2015
Angel #496
100,288 births · Peak 2002
Kora #489
9,541 births · Peak 2022
Dayana #497
15,598 births · Peak 2008
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1959–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cali: #493 Girls' Name - 23,342 Births, Peak 2014." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cali. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cali draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.