Kei
- US rank
- #6,143
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #3,365 in 2015
14 babies were named Kei in the US in 2025. It has dropped 1,102 places in five years.
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1978–2025
US births per million boys, 1920–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Kei you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Kei
Kei Nishikori
Japanese tennis player (born 1989)
Choose Kei and your child shares a first name with Kei Nishikori, a Japanese tennis player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kei, like who?” Kei Nishikori's Wikipedia article is available in 52 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Kei Nishikori on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 121,951 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Kei, 14 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Kei would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryKei first shows up in US birth records in 1920, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 105 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 2015, when it reached #3,365.
- TrendKei has slipped 1,102 places over the last five years and now sits at #6,143. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
About the name Kei
Kei is a boy name of English origin. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with K and ending in “-kei”. US birth records list Kei for boys from 1920 to 2025, in 48 of those 106 years. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked #3,365 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #6,143, with 14 babies.
Origin:English names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.5 | 285,714 girls |
| 1980s | 3.0 | 336,700 girls |
| 1990s | 2.8 | 357,143 girls |
| 2000s | 1.3 | 769,231 girls |
| 2010s | 2.4 | 418,410 girls |
| 2020s | 1.1 | 909,091 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 1.2 | 840,336 boys |
| 1970s | 0.9 | 1,123,596 boys |
| 1980s | 3.3 | 303,951 boys |
| 1990s | 5.1 | 196,850 boys |
| 2000s | 7.0 | 143,472 boys |
| 2010s | 11 | 88,574 boys |
| 2020s | 11 | 92,450 boys |
Other spellings of Kei
More English boy names
- Boy name: Oliver · olive tree
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
Questions about the name Kei
What is the origin of the name Kei?
Kei has English roots in our records. Other English names include Oliver, Henry, James.
Is Kei a boy or girl name?
Kei is a boy name.
How popular is the name Kei?
Kei ranked #6,143 for US boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 2015 (#3,365).