Gali
A feminine name of Hindu/Indian origin meaning "lane" or "alley".
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the first name Gali. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gali today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gali births was 2023 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gali. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
164
~ 1 in 2,089,965 Americans
Peak year
2023
13 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,762
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Gali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gali from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 66 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gali by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Galis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gali
The name Gali has its origins in the Sanskrit language, stemming from the word "gali" meaning "small street" or "alleyway." This name was prevalent in ancient India, particularly in the northern regions, during the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gali can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads, where it is mentioned in the context of philosophical discussions on the nature of reality and the self. Specifically, the name appears in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, one of the oldest and most revered Upanishads, dating back to around 800-600 BCE.
The first recorded instance of the name Gali being used as a personal name can be traced back to the 5th century BCE, during the reign of the Nanda Empire in ancient India. One notable figure from this time was Gali, a renowned philosopher and scholar who is credited with important contributions to the field of logic and epistemology.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Gali. In the 12th century CE, Gali was the name of a prominent Persian poet and mystic who was known for his profound and thought-provoking verses on spirituality and the human condition.
During the Mughal era in India, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, there was a renowned architect named Gali Khan who was responsible for the design and construction of several iconic monuments, including the Taj Mahal in Agra.
In more recent times, there was a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social reformer named Gali Narsimha Reddy, who lived from 1868 to 1933 and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule.
Another notable figure bearing the name Gali was the American engineer and inventor Gali Amin, who was born in 1924 and made significant contributions to the field of aerospace engineering, particularly in the development of advanced aircraft and spacecraft propulsion systems.
The name Gali, with its rich historical roots and cultural significance, has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields, each leaving their mark on the world in their own unique way.
People
Gali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gali as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gali going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,089,965 US residents.
Is Gali a common name?
We classify Gali as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gali most popular?
The single biggest year for Gali was 2023, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gali is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gali a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gali in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.