Kai
Boy name · American · Greek · Hawaiian · Native American · Scottish · Welsh
Meaningsea · Hawaiian
- US rank
- #93
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #59 in 2022
3,768 babies were named Kai in the US in 2025.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1953–2025
US births per million boys, 1926–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Kai you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Kai
Kai Havertz
German association football player (born 1999)
Choose Kai and your child shares a first name with Kai Havertz, a German association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kai, like who?” Kai Havertz's Wikipedia article is available in 66 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Kai Havertz on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 453 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Kai, 3,768 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Kai.
- HistoryKai first shows up in US birth records in 1926, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 99 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 2022, when it reached #59.
- Then vs nowKai is 7.0× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 3,158 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 453.
- Where it's lovedKai is most popular in Hawaii, where it ranks #13, followed by California (#58) and Florida (#58). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Hawaiian, Kai means “sea”. Our records link it to American, Greek and Hawaiian roots.
- OriginKai is the #4 most popular American boy name in the US. That's out of 2,145 American boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Kai
Kai is a boy name of American, Greek and Hawaiian origin meaning “sea”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with K and ending in “-kai”. US birth records list Kai for boys from 1926 to 2025, in 80 of those 100 years. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked #59 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #93, with 3,768 babies.
Origin:American namesGreek namesHawaiian namesNative American namesScottish namesWelsh names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.4 | 421,687 girls |
| 1960s | 5.7 | 175,747 girls |
| 1970s | 28 | 35,600 girls |
| 1980s | 24 | 41,442 girls |
| 1990s | 51 | 19,732 girls |
| 2000s | 96 | 10,449 girls |
| 2010s | 173 | 5,786 girls |
| 2020s | 185 | 5,402 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 1.4 | 740,741 boys |
| 1930s | 0.6 | 1,754,386 boys |
| 1940s | 0.7 | 1,538,462 boys |
| 1950s | 7.2 | 138,122 boys |
| 1960s | 18 | 55,249 boys |
| 1970s | 36 | 27,855 boys |
| 1980s | 52 | 19,350 boys |
| 1990s | 137 | 7,307 boys |
| 2000s | 630 | 1,586 boys |
| 2010s | 1,389 | 720 boys |
| 2020s | 2,597 | 385 boys |
Other spellings of Kai
More American boy names
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: Maverick · independent, unbranded
- Unisex name: Jace · healer
- Boy name: Jaxon · son of Jack
- Boy name: Milo · possibly gracious
- Boy name: Bryson · son of Brice
- Boy name: Louis · famous warrior
- Boy name: Nash · at the ash tree
Questions about the name Kai
What does the name Kai mean?
Kai means “sea” in Hawaiian.
What is the origin of the name Kai?
Kai has American, Greek, Hawaiian, Native American, Scottish, Welsh roots in our records. Other American names include Henry, Maverick, Jace.
Is Kai a boy or girl name?
Kai is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Kai?
Kai ranked #93 for US boys in 2025, given to 3,768 babies. Its best year was 2022 (#59).