2000
#11,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Cali
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived in a hot or warm place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,111 Americans carry the last name Cali. That puts it at #11,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cali surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cali with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,175
Census rank
#11,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,713 bearers of the surname Cali in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cali, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cali
Among Census respondents with the surname Cali, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cali bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cali surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 2,129
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 401
- Black or African American2.8% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 57
- Two or more races1.8% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cali
Cali appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
+281 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 177 places
2020
#11,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,713
-114 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,362 | 2,546 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,185 | 2,827 | 0.96 | +281 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 177 places |
| 2020 | #11,160 | 2,713 | 0.91 | -114 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 25 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cali surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,185 | #11,160 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,827 | 2,713 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.91 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cali bearers went from 2,827 to 2,713 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,185 to #11,160.
FAQ
Cali surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cali?
Name Census estimates that about 3,111 living Americans carry the surname Cali. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,175 residents.
How common is Cali?
Cali ranks #11,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,713 people with the surname Cali. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cali.
Has Cali become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cali went from 2,827 recorded bearers to 2,713. That is a decrease of 114 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,185 to #11,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Cali?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cali, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.8%) and Black (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cali in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (2,129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cali appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Hispanic (14.8%), Black (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cali (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cali mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived in a hot or warm place. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cali (0.91 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Cali?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Cali at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.