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Boy · Hawaiian, Frisian or Welsh (several)
Kai
Say it: KY
Meaning
Has several unrelated origins: Hawaiian kai 'sea', a Frisian and Scandinavian name of uncertain origin, and Welsh Cai, from Latin Gaius.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Long used in northern Germany and Scandinavia, it became popular in the US in the 2000s.
Its wave through time
Rising now
In the United States
- 54,038 babies given this name since 1926
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 448 boys
- 4,150 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Kye
| German | Kai |
|---|---|
| Danish | Kai |
| Welsh | Cai |
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.