Kai: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “sea; shell; forgiveness”
- Origin
- Unknown
- Say it
- KYE · 1 syllable
- Used for
- Boys (89% of all uses)
Kai has several independent origins: Hawaiian 'sea', Japanese meanings vary by kanji, and it also occurs in Scandinavian and German usage. Because the exact source depends on culture, the etymology is uncertain without context. The origin of this name is not settled among etymologists.
How popular is Kai?
Babies named Kai in 20244,489
2024 rank#76 boys
Peak year2022
Total US babies since 188074,652
Kai is rising: use over the last five years is 2.4× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Kai
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Kai questions
What does the name Kai mean?
Kai means "sea; shell; forgiveness". It comes from Unknown. Kai has several independent origins: Hawaiian 'sea', Japanese meanings vary by kanji, and it also occurs in Scandinavian and German usage. Because the exact source depends on culture, the etymology is uncertain without context.
Is Kai a boy or girl name?
Kai is mainly a boy's name in US records (89% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Kai?
4,489 US babies were named Kai in 2024. Its peak year was 2022.
How do you pronounce Kai?
Kai is usually pronounced KYE.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.