Unisex nameCurrently #76 in the USRising
Kai
KY//kaɪ//
1 syllablePeak year: 20223 lettersStarts with K
Meaning & origin
Sea (Hawaiian); or forgiveness (Japanese)
Kai has roots across several unrelated cultures: in Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages it means 'sea', while in Japanese it can carry meanings like 'forgiveness' or 'ocean' depending on the characters used, and it also appears as a short form in Scandinavian and Frisian naming traditions. Its short, universal sound has made it popular worldwide.
Kai's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Kai |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 6 |
| 1932 | 6 |
| 1944 | 5 |
| 1949 | 5 |
| 1950 | 9 |
| 1951 | 14 |
| 1952 | 5 |
| 1953 | 15 |
| 1954 | 14 |
| 1955 | 22 |
| 1956 | 12 |
| 1957 | 28 |
| 1958 | 29 |
| 1959 | 33 |
| 1960 | 27 |
| 1961 | 32 |
| 1962 | 43 |
| 1963 | 43 |
| 1964 | 38 |
| 1965 | 48 |
| 1966 | 46 |
| 1967 | 54 |
| 1968 | 60 |
| 1969 | 52 |
| 1970 | 79 |
| 1971 | 64 |
| 1972 | 99 |
| 1973 | 97 |
| 1974 | 93 |
| 1975 | 99 |
| 1976 | 96 |
| 1977 | 111 |
| 1978 | 141 |
| 1979 | 143 |
| 1980 | 147 |
| 1981 | 135 |
| 1982 | 135 |
| 1983 | 112 |
| 1984 | 134 |
| 1985 | 132 |
| 1986 | 125 |
| 1987 | 139 |
| 1988 | 136 |
| 1989 | 178 |
| 1990 | 175 |
| 1991 | 208 |
| 1992 | 227 |
| 1993 | 261 |
| 1994 | 303 |
| 1995 | 438 |
| 1996 | 384 |
| 1997 | 450 |
| 1998 | 489 |
| 1999 | 609 |
| 2000 | 753 |
| 2001 | 846 |
| 2002 | 1,266 |
| 2003 | 1,365 |
| 2004 | 1,488 |
| 2005 | 1,598 |
| 2006 | 1,631 |
| 2007 | 1,609 |
| 2008 | 1,843 |
| 2009 | 1,994 |
| 2010 | 2,017 |
| 2011 | 2,084 |
| 2012 | 2,219 |
| 2013 | 2,265 |
| 2014 | 2,681 |
| 2015 | 3,163 |
| 2016 | 3,215 |
| 2017 | 3,493 |
| 2018 | 3,780 |
| 2019 | 4,079 |
| 2020 | 4,207 |
| 2021 | 5,009 |
| 2022 | 5,724 |
| 2023 | 5,249 |
| 2024 | 4,489 |
Kai through the decades
- Kai peaked in 2022, when 5,724 babies were named Kai in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Kai has risen 113% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Kai currently ranks #76 in the US and is on the rise.
Nicknames
Kai
Variants & spellings
Kaj