UK girl's name
Kalli
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "beautiful" or "calf".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kalli is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kalli popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4192, with 5 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 8 births.
This profile covers 102 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 63% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 110 living people in the UK are called Kalli. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kalli ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 5 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 8 girls were registered as Kalli.
- • Kalli ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.
- • About 110 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kalli as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4192
2024
Births in 2024
5
Latest year
Peak year
2021
8 births
Estimated living
110
2026
Meaning
What does Kalli mean?
The name Kalli is believed to have its origins in the Finnish language. It is a diminutive form of the name Kaarina, which is the Finnish version of the name Catherine. The name Kaarina is derived from the Greek name Aikaterine, which means "pure" or "unsullied."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalli can be found in the Finnish epic poem, the Kalevala. The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of poetry compiled from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology. In the poem, there is a character named Kalli, who is depicted as a beautiful and virtuous young woman.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Kalli. One of the earliest recorded examples is Kalli Rovio, a Finnish painter and illustrator who lived from 1865 to 1944. She was known for her naturalistic paintings of landscapes and still life scenes.
Another notable Kalli was Kalli Siiskonen, a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 1960s and 1970s. She won a bronze medal in the 4x5 km relay event at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.
In the literary world, Kalli Siiskonen was a Finnish author and poet who lived from 1924 to 1991. She was known for her poetry collections, which often explored themes of nature and the human experience.
A more recent example is Kalli Kalde, an Estonian actress who was born in 1977. She has appeared in numerous Estonian films and television shows and is considered one of the country's most prominent actresses.
Lastly, Kalli Purie is an Indian media executive and the vice-chairperson of the India Today Group, one of the largest media conglomerates in India. She was born in 1957 and has played a significant role in the growth and development of the company.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kalli over time
The chart below shows babies named Kalli registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kalli, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 5 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalli by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kalli was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3890 | 17 | 3 |
| 2010s | #5050 | 23 | 6 |
| 2000s | #3303 | 49 | 9 |
| 1990s | #3155 | 13 | 3 |
Geography
Where Kalli is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kalli. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kalli ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #792 in 2021.
Across the UK
Kalli in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#792 in 2021
3 years of NRS records, 9 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kalli
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kalli: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kalli in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kalli was ranked #4192 for girls in England and Wales, with 5 births registered.
When was Kalli most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 8 babies registered as Kalli in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kalli?
A feminine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "beautiful" or "calf".
How many people are called Kalli in the UK?
A total of 102 babies have been registered as Kalli across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9 more in Scotland.
Where is Kalli most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kalli ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #792 in 2021. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.