Baby name meaning

Kai

Ocean, sea · Hawaiian origin

What does Kai mean?

Kai is a male name of Hawaiian origin, meaning “Ocean, sea”.

How popular is Kai?

In England & Wales, Kai ranked #72 among boys' names in 2024, with 735 babies given the name, close to its #77 of 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2003, when it reached #56.

In the United States, Kai was the #93 boys' name in the 2020 data — its best showing in the US series, which samples one year per decade from 1880. It first charted in the US series in 1950.

Kai — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Kai over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,000#10,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #2,671US 1960: #1,842US 1970: #1,074US 1980: #994US 1990: #928US 2000: #403US 2010: #205US 2020: #93England & Wales 2024: #72United StatesEngland & Wales
Kai’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Kai in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#161212
2000#73723
2003#561,119
2005#661,024
2010#561,308
2015#86775
2020#103579
2024#72735

Who are famous people named Kai?

What names go well with Kai?

Leo Maya Luna

More on Kai

Hawaiian, tiny, and welcome in nearly every playground on earth. Kai is the name that travels light.

Kai: the whole sea in three letters — Kai as our Name of the Day.

Maya: a tiny name with a riddle inside it — Kai gets a mention.

Swipe & match on Kai in Settle