Killi as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Killi

What is the meaning of the name Killi ?

The baby name Killi is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KIL-ee (ˈkɪli),KEE-lee (ˈkiːli) — less common.

Killi is in Origin.

Killi is a cross-cultural given name with Norse and South Indian roots. In Old Norse sources (the Dvergatal), Kíli is recorded among dwarf-names; J.R.R. Tolkien adopted it for one of Thorin’s companions in The Hobbit, which revived modern use. The Norse form is sometimes linked to a root meaning “wedge” or to kíll, “narrow inlet,” so the sense is of something tapered or cleaving.

Across the subcontinent, Killi appears in early Tamil as a royal epithet of the Chola dynasty - seen in names such as Nedunkilli and Nalankilli - and survives as a personal name; it also echoes Tamil kili, “parrot,” a term of endearment in classical poetry. Variants include Kíli and Kili; modern spellings Killy or Keeli occasionally occur. Usage today is rare but cosmopolitan, and the name reads as unisex, with cultural resonances ranging from saga lore to Sangam literature.

⚙ Killi is a rare name. It doesn't appear in any of the major national birth registries we track; we found only 87 recorded uses across 29 countries. Expect very few children to share this name.