Girl

Kai

KY

Rare & Uncommon ↑ Rising

✦ Meaning

“Hawaiian origin meaning 'ocean' or 'sea.' Also used in Japanese meaning 'shell,' 'ocean,' or 'shellfish.' A minimalist name with deep water symbolism.”

Popularity Over Time

Kai US popularity rank over timeRank 7088 in 1969 to rank 768 in 2021. Lower rank numbers are more popular.#768#3928#70881953198020002024

Kai is not currently in the US top 1000.

Origin

HawaiianJapanese

Syllables

1

Style

MinimalNatureEtherealBold

Famous Bearers

  • Kai (My Girl of Fire and Ice character)

Collections

Works Everywhere → Nature Names → Beautiful But Not Top 100 → Short & Strong →

Similar Names

Kaia

Hawaiian Beautiful But Not Top 100

Kiele

Hawaiian Rare & Uncommon

Kaida

Japanese Rare & Uncommon

Iona

Gaelic Rare & Uncommon

Aria

Greek Top 50

Sibling Name Ideas

Kaia

Hawaiian Beautiful But Not Top 100

Luna

Latin Top 50

Lyra

Greek Beautiful But Not Top 100

Iris

Greek Top 100

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Cross-Cultural Notes

Works across Hawaiian, Japanese, and Western cultures

People Also Ask

Hawaiian origin meaning 'ocean' or 'sea.' Also used in Japanese meaning 'shell,' 'ocean,' or 'shellfish.' A minimalist name with deep water symbolism.

Kai is not currently in the US top 1000, making it a genuinely rare choice. It's trending up as more parents discover it.

Kai works beautifully as a full name and does not lend itself to an obvious short form. Most parents see that as a feature.

Names that pair beautifully with Kai include Kaia, Luna, Lyra, Iris.