Hawaiian · boy

Kai

A familiar name with a nostalgic, vintage feel.

Rank 2024

#76

Trend

falling

Band

common

Styles

short · classic

Meaning

Sea (Hawaiian), with many origins

Kai is a common boy name with Hawaiian roots. In 2024, 4,276 newborns in the U.S. were given the name — ranking it #76 nationally, and it has been gently easing in recent years. Its style leans short, classic, vintage — tags you can match against your partner's picks in the combiner.

shortclassicvintage

About Hawaiian names

Hawaiian names flow from a language of just a handful of consonants and open vowels, which is why they sound like water — Leilani, Kai, Noelani. Traditionally a name was a serious gift, sometimes given by elders or received in dreams, and meanings lean on the natural world: sea, sky, flowers, heaven. Even short Hawaiian names tend to hold whole images.

Meaning and origin are editorial; U.S. popularity comes from Social Security Administration public files.

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