Kai
Several unrelated names share this spelling: Hawaiian kai means sea, a Frisian and German Kai developed as a pet form of names like Nikolaus, and Japanese supplies others.
Kai in 2025
Kai was given to 4,002 babies in the United States in 2025 — 3,768 boys and 234 girls, making it the 140th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 828 babies born.
The history of Kai
Kai reached its highest point in 2022, when 5,732 babies were given the name, ranking 90th that year.
Across the 100 years of records since 1926, 78,710 babies have been named Kai. Half of them were born before 2017, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
Kai by decade
| Decade | Babies named Kai | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 7,626 |
| 1930s | 6 | 6,907 |
| 1940s | 10 | 7,661 |
| 1950s | 181 | 3,186 |
| 1960s | 443 | 2,328 |
| 1970s | 1,021 | 1,655 |
| 1980s | 1,371 | 1,675 |
| 1990s | 3,545 | 842 |
| 2000s | 14,393 | 353 |
| 2010s | 29,004 | 155 |
| 2020s | 28,730 | 90 |
Where Kai is heading
Kai has risen 27% over the past decade, from 3,163 babies in 2015 to 4,002 in 2025.
Names like Kai
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Kai.