Find out how popular the last name Cali is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cali.

Cali, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cali surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cali in America

Cali is the 11185th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cali surname appeared 2,827 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cali.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cali to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cali

The surname Cali has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It likely emerged in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is believed to derive from the Latin word "callis," which means "path" or "road." It may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a prominent road or path.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cali can be found in a document from the 13th century in Palermo, Sicily. The document mentions a person named Giovanni Cali, suggesting that the name was already in use by that time. Another early reference is found in the Sicilian Vespers, an uprising against French rule in 1282, where a person named Matteo Cali is mentioned as a participant.

In the 15th century, there are records of a noble family called the Cali di Palermo, who were landowners and held significant influence in the city of Palermo. One notable member of this family was Giovanni Cali, who lived in the late 15th century and was a prominent merchant and ambassador.

The name Cali has also been associated with various place names in Sicily, such as Cali-Sicaminò, a small town near Messina. It is possible that the surname may have originated from one of these locations, but the exact connection is difficult to establish with certainty.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Cali. One example is the Italian painter Vincenzo Cali, who was born in Palermo in 1659 and is known for his religious works and portraits. Another is the Sicilian playwright and poet Giovanni Cali, who lived in the 18th century and wrote several popular comedies.

In the 19th century, Ignazio Cali was a prominent Sicilian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Palermo from 1848 to 1849. Francesco Cali, born in 1865, was a renowned Sicilian sculptor and creator of numerous public monuments and statues.

The surname Cali has also been found in other parts of Italy, such as Calabria and Campania, likely due to migration patterns within the country. However, its roots can be traced back to Sicily, where it has a long and rich history dating back to the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cali

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cali.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cali was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cali has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cali was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cali, please contact us.

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