Mostly boys · peaked in 2022
Kai name popularity since 1925
78,710 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Kai (10.8% girls, 89.2% boys). Half of them were born in 2017 or earlier, so the typical Kai is about 9 years old in 2026. Kai peaked in 2022 as the #59 name for boys, and it ranked #93 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 78,710
- Named Kai, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #93
- for boys in 2025 (3,768 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 89.2% boys
- 8,478 girls · 70,232 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 4.94× its national share
Peak year is the year Kai made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Kai births per year, 1925–2025
2022 was the biggest year for Kai both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1997 and 2002, Kai became 3.3× more common, from 1 in 5,850 baby boys to 1 in 1,750.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Kai's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Kai.
Decade by decade
Babies named Kai in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 6 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 6 | Under 5 |
| 1940s | 0 | 10 | Under 5 |
| 1950s | 33 | 148 | #1,662 |
| 1960s | 102 | 341 | #1,347 |
| 1970s | 429 | 592 | #1,109 |
| 1980s | 413 | 958 | #915 |
| 1990s | 905 | 2,640 | #535 |
| 2000s | 1,773 | 12,620 | #239 |
| 2010s | 3,020 | 25,984 | #145 |
| 2020–25 | 1,803 | 26,927 | #93 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 boys got the name.
Generation fingerprint
65.3% of babies named Kai from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Kai is most popular
The index compares Kai's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Kai.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 4.94× | 1,159 |
| Nevada | 2.99× | 801 |
| Florida | 2.22× | 6,015 |
| Utah | 2.05× | 1,311 |
| Washington | 2.01× | 2,526 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Kai and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Kai (this page) | 70,232 | 2022 |
| Khai | 3,184 | 2023 |
| Cai | 1,450 | 2022 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Kai's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Kai.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Kai (2022).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data