| Anika | Kali | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | brilliance, splendour; epithet of Durga | the black one |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-NEE-kah | KAH-lee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1961 | 1957 |
| Peak year | 2006 (642) | 2019 (1,312) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 948 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Anika | Kali |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,895 | 6,625 |
| 2010s | 5,038 | 9,909 |
| 2000s | 5,591 | 5,759 |
| 1990s | 2,083 | 6,848 |
| 1980s | 949 | 2,752 |
| 1970s | 1,222 | 526 |
| 1960s | 26 | 87 |
| 1950s | 0 | 21 |
From Sanskrit anika (अनीक), 'splendour, brilliance; also a battle array or army'; used as an epithet of Goddess Durga. Cross-cultural: Anika is independently a Germanic/Scandinavian diminutive of Anna.
From Sanskrit 'kali', the feminine of 'kala' meaning 'black, dark'. The name of the fierce Hindu goddess Kali; the sense is often blurred by popular etymology with a second 'kala' meaning 'time'. Include respectfully as a deity name.
Kali is more popular than Anika today: about 948 US babies were given the name Kali in 2025, compared with 269 named Anika.
Anika means brilliance, splendour; epithet of Durga (sanskrit origin), while Kali means the black one (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Anika first appears in 1961 and Kali in 1957, so Kali has the longer recorded history.