Fun Facts About the Name Kili
- 133 babies named Kili: U.S. records list 133 babies given the name Kili from 1880 through 2025. Even 16 boys received the name Kili - about 1 boy for every 7 girls.
What Does the Name Kili Mean?
Kíli is a dwarf name from Old Norse tradition. It appears in the Dvergatal, the catalogue of dwarfs in the poem Völuspá, where it stands directly beside the name Fíli. The poem supplies no translation, and the meaning is not securely known. The explanation most often offered connects the name with Old Norse kíll, 'wedge'; several dwarf names in the list read like bynames, and some have been interpreted as tools or craft terms, but few of those translations are certain. Naming the pair Fíli and Kíli as two smith's implements is therefore an interpretation of an obscure name list, not a definition recorded in the source. The spelling Kili without the accent is the common English form of the same name.
Kili Name History & Origins
The name belongs to medieval Scandinavian tradition. Völuspá, the opening poem of the Poetic Edda, survives in the Codex Regius, a manuscript written in Iceland in the later thirteenth century, and its Dvergatal preserves a long roll of dwarf names in verse. Name lists of this kind were used by poets who needed forms to fit alliteration and meter; many of the entries, Kíli among them, are obscure, and scholars have proposed different readings of them.
Kíli reached a wide English-speaking audience through J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, in which Kíli is one of the thirteen dwarfs, brother of Fíli and one of Thorin Oakenshield's nephews. Tolkien did not invent the name: he took the dwarfs' names from the Dvergatal, keeping the Old Norse spellings with their accents. The book and the later film adaptations of The Hobbit made the name familiar in English far beyond its earlier life as a Norse literary name.
How Popular is the Name Kili?
Kili has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #9,623 in 2006.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #12,227 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #17,629 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #14,099 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #14,282 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #13,235 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #13,327 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #9,623 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #10,890 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #14,564 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #12,508 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #10,890 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #9,722 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #12,952 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #11,090 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #14,101 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #10,388 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,064 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #13,360 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #11,476 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kili Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Kili's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kili's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.