Baby name meaning

Kai

Ocean, sea · Hawaiian origin

Meaning & origin

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

Famous Kais

Names that go well with Kai

Leo Maya Luna
Swipe & match on Kai in Settle