Unisex name · Hawaiian
Kai
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: the seaKai is a gender-neutral name that comes from Hawaiian and means "the sea". It is used in English, Hawaiian and Japanese.
- Meaning
- The sea
- Origin
- Hawaiian
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #1054 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Kai
As a gender-neutral name, Kai comes from Hawaiian and means "the sea". It is used in English and Hawaiian.
As a boy's name, Kai comes from Japanese and means "sea". It is used in English and Japanese.
Its meaning puts Kai on our names that mean water or sea list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How to write Kai in Japanese
In hiragana, Kai is かい. In kanji it can be written several ways, and each choice gives the name its own meaning. These are spellings used for the name, with what each kanji means.
| Kanji | Reading | What the kanji mean |
|---|---|---|
| 海 | かい | 海 sea |
| 魁 | かい | 魁 pioneer, leader |
| 快 | かい | 快 cheerful |
Kanji and readings from the JMnedict and KANJIDIC2 dictionaries (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), checked by our editors.
Kai on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Kai on 4 lists.
“The sea, sea water. Short, bright and easy to say”
From Hawaiian names, hawaiian names from the sea and sky
“Sea, ocean; short and breezy.”
From Japanese boy names, japanese boy names from nature
“The sea; Hawaiian, short and breezy”
From Ocean names, unisex ocean-themed names
“Means sea in Hawaiian”
From Axolotl names, girl and boy axolotl names
How popular is Kai?
In 2025, 234 girls and 3,768 boys in the US were named Kai.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #1,054
- 234 babies, 146 per million girls
- Best rank
- #770 in 2021
- 371 babies that year
- Babies since 1953
- At least 8,478
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 2 per million |
| 1960s | 6 per million |
| 1970s | 28 per million |
| 1980s | 24 per million |
| 1990s | 50 per million |
| 2000s | 96 per million |
| 2010s | 173 per million |
| 2020s | 185 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #879 | #809 | #854 | #809 | #793 | #770 | #791 | #940 | #1,132 | #1,054 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #93
- 3,768 babies, 2,206 per million boys
- Best rank
- #59 in 2022
- 5,374 babies that year
- Babies since 1926
- At least 70,232
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 0 per million |
| 1920s | 1 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 1 per million |
| 1950s | 7 per million |
| 1960s | 18 per million |
| 1970s | 36 per million |
| 1980s | 52 per million |
| 1990s | 136 per million |
| 2000s | 632 per million |
| 2010s | 1,382 per million |
| 2020s | 2,598 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145 | #126 | #112 | #100 | #93 | #70 | #59 | #61 | #76 | #93 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Kai
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- KekaiThe sea (Hawaiian, boy)
Names spelled like Kai
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- KaiaPet form of Katarina, the Scandinavian Katherine (Greek, girl)
- KaliThe black one (Sanskrit, unisex)
- KauʻiThe youthful one (Hawaiian, unisex)
- KeiBlessing; wisdom (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- KabirGreat (Arabic, boy)
- KamilPerfect, complete (Arabic, boy)
- KarimGenerous, noble (Arabic, boy)
- KarlFree man (Germanic, boy)
- KeirThicket, marsh (Scots, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MarinaOf the sea (Latin, girl)
- MurielBright sea (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- MiraPeace, from Slavic Mir- names; in Sanskrit, sea (Slavic, girl)
- CoralReef stone of the sea (Greek, girl)
- DaryaHolding firm the good; also sea in Persian (Persian, girl)
- MarinoOf the sea (Latin, boy)
- MaristelaStar of the sea (Latin, girl)
- MurchadhSea warrior (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- MurphySea warrior (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- PelagiaOf the open sea (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Kai
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Hawaiian
- AilaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani, to rule as chief, or Aylín (Hawaiian, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- LeilaniHeavenly flowers; royal child (Hawaiian, girl)
- AlaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻalani, orange tree or fruit (Hawaiian, girl)
- AlohaLove, affection (Hawaiian, unisex)
- AlohilaniBright sky (Hawaiian, girl)
- ĀnuenueA rainbow (Hawaiian, girl)
- AolaniHeavenly cloud (Hawaiian, girl)
- AukaiSeafarer, sailor (Hawaiian, boy)
- AylaniVariant of Ailani, possibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani (Hawaiian, girl)
Kai: common questions
What does the name Kai mean?
Kai comes from Hawaiian and means "the sea". It also has another origin: "sea" from Japanese. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Kai a boy or girl name?
Kai is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 234 girls and 3,768 boys in the US were named Kai, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Kai come from?
Kai comes from Hawaiian and means "the sea". Today it is used in English, Hawaiian and Japanese.
How do you write Kai in Japanese?
Kai is written かい in hiragana. Kanji spellings include 海 (sea), 魁 (pioneer) and 快 (cheerful). The kanji parents choose decide what the name means.
How popular is the name Kai?
Kai ranked #1,054 in the US in 2025, with 234 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Kai?
Forms of Kai with the same meaning and origin include Kekai (Hawaiian).
What middle names go with Kai?
Middle names that flow well with Kai include Archer, Elijah, Josephine, Nathan and Robert. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.