Kai
- #1,053 for girls in 2025, 234 births
- #93 for boys in 2025, 3,768 births
- Given to boys 89.2% of the time
Showing
- Peak · boys
- 2022 · 5,374 births
- Debut · boys
- 6 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 7 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 70,232since 1926
Kai over time
girlsboys
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #1,053 | 234 | #93 | 3,768 |
| 2024 | #1,128 | 214 | #76 | 4,301 |
| 2023 | #940 | 282 | #61 | 4,976 |
| 2022 | #789 | 358 | #59 | 5,374 |
| 2021 | #768 | 371 | #70 | 4,641 |
| 2020 | #791 | 344 | #93 | 3,867 |
| 2019 | #809 | 338 | #100 | 3,744 |
| 2018 | #853 | 318 | #112 | 3,463 |
| 2017 | #808 | 338 | #126 | 3,158 |
| 2016 | #876 | 320 | #145 | 2,895 |
| 2015 | #888 | 311 | #145 | 2,852 |
| 2014 | #989 | 270 | #177 | 2,411 |
| 2013 | #906 | 282 | #199 | 1,983 |
| 2012 | #917 | 281 | #197 | 1,938 |
| 2011 | #887 | 294 | #202 | 1,790 |
| 2010 | #955 | 268 | #205 | 1,750 |
| 2009 | #1,085 | 235 | #213 | 1,759 |
| 2008 | #1,104 | 234 | #229 | 1,609 |
| 2007 | #1,199 | 210 | #252 | 1,399 |
| 2006 | #1,299 | 180 | #238 | 1,451 |
| 2005 | #1,227 | 185 | #239 | 1,413 |
| 2004 | #1,302 | 164 | #248 | 1,324 |
| 2003 | #1,365 | 148 | #264 | 1,217 |
| 2002 | #1,252 | 158 | #276 | 1,108 |
| 2001 | #1,468 | 128 | #370 | 718 |
| 2000 | #1,412 | 131 | #403 | 622 |
| 1999 | #1,279 | 144 | #478 | 465 |
| 1998 | #1,366 | 126 | #548 | 363 |
| 1997 | #1,343 | 128 | #575 | 322 |
| 1996 | #1,722 | 87 | #598 | 297 |
| 1995 | #1,776 | 81 | #534 | 357 |
| 1994 | #1,688 | 88 | #710 | 216 |
| 1993 | #1,830 | 79 | #783 | 182 |
| 1992 | #2,010 | 68 | #836 | 159 |
| 1991 | #2,388 | 53 | #831 | 155 |
| 1990 | #2,402 | 51 | #926 | 124 |
| 1989 | #2,879 | 38 | #848 | 140 |
| 1988 | #2,489 | 43 | #1,013 | 93 |
| 1987 | #2,852 | 34 | #921 | 105 |
| 1986 | #3,135 | 29 | #932 | 96 |
| 1985 | #2,804 | 33 | #910 | 99 |
| 1984 | #2,050 | 49 | #960 | 85 |
| 1983 | #2,475 | 37 | #1,022 | 75 |
| 1982 | #2,414 | 40 | #920 | 94 |
| 1981 | #2,195 | 46 | #959 | 88 |
| 1980 | #1,735 | 64 | #989 | 83 |
| 1979 | #1,874 | 56 | #945 | 87 |
| 1978 | #1,598 | 67 | #1,005 | 74 |
| 1977 | #2,091 | 45 | #1,064 | 66 |
| 1976 | #2,060 | 42 | #1,163 | 54 |
| 1975 | #2,097 | 41 | #1,099 | 58 |
| 1974 | #1,961 | 43 | #1,171 | 50 |
| 1973 | #1,885 | 44 | #1,123 | 53 |
| 1972 | #1,832 | 46 | #1,129 | 52 |
| 1971 | #2,874 | 24 | #1,330 | 40 |
| 1970 | #3,110 | 21 | #1,070 | 58 |
| 1969 | #6,617 | 6 | #1,152 | 46 |
| 1968 | #3,789 | 13 | #1,083 | 47 |
| 1967 | #3,484 | 14 | #1,181 | 40 |
| 1966 | #4,198 | 10 | #1,259 | 36 |
| 1965 | #3,264 | 15 | #1,335 | 33 |
| 1964 | #6,009 | 6 | #1,384 | 32 |
| 1963 | #4,896 | 8 | #1,318 | 35 |
| 1962 | #3,438 | 14 | #1,454 | 29 |
| 1961 | #4,546 | 9 | #1,686 | 23 |
| 1960 | #5,168 | 7 | #1,812 | 20 |
| 1959 | #5,031 | 7 | #1,559 | 26 |
| 1958 | #4,193 | 9 | #1,766 | 20 |
| 1957 | #3,489 | 12 | #2,019 | 16 |
| 1956 | — | #2,361 | 12 | |
| 1955 | — | #1,646 | 22 | |
| 1954 | — | #2,114 | 14 | |
| 1953 | #5,673 | 5 | #2,531 | 10 |
| 1952 | — | #3,734 | 5 | |
| 1951 | — | #2,055 | 14 | |
| 1950 | — | #2,580 | 9 | |
| 1949 | — | #3,690 | 5 | |
| 1948 | — | — | ||
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| 1945 | — | — | ||
| 1944 | — | #3,430 | 5 | |
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| 1932 | — | #3,361 | 6 | |
| 1931 | — | — | ||
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| 1927 | — | — | ||
| 1926 | — | #3,708 | 6 | |
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First appearance
1926
The first year at least five boys were named Kai! It came in at #3,708, and was given to 6 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1927–1931, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.
Where Kai is popular in 2025
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
Top states · boys
- Hawaii#13 · 1 in 97
- Florida#58 · 1 in 291
- California#58 · 1 in 292
- Utah#64 · 1 in 289
- New Mexico#67 · 1 in 250
Best ever in a state: #2 in Hawaii, 2021.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | #13 | 30 | 1 in 97 |
| California | #58 | 601 | 1 in 292 |
| Florida | #58 | 328 | 1 in 291 |
| Utah | #64 | 68 | 1 in 289 |
| New Mexico | #67 | 26 | 1 in 250 |
| Washington | #67 | 105 | 1 in 312 |
| Nevada | #68 | 43 | 1 in 263 |
| Louisiana | #75 | 59 | 1 in 324 |
| New York | #77 | 222 | 1 in 380 |
| Rhode Island | #77 | 13 | 1 in 240 |
| Arizona | #79 | 98 | 1 in 334 |
| Colorado | #80 | 82 | 1 in 327 |
| Alaska | #85 | 9 | 1 in 252 |
| West Virginia | #85 | 21 | 1 in 293 |
| Connecticut | #87 | 40 | 1 in 330 |
| Oregon | #88 | 42 | 1 in 359 |
| Oklahoma | #91 | 46 | 1 in 384 |
| Massachusetts | #96 | 72 | 1 in 375 |
| Virginia | #97 | 93 | 1 in 401 |
| Georgia | #98 | 116 | 1 in 433 |
| New Jersey | #98 | 101 | 1 in 394 |
| Pennsylvania | #100 | 123 | 1 in 425 |
| Delaware | #101 | 10 | 1 in 295 |
| Maine | #101 | 13 | 1 in 296 |
| Maryland | #101 | 55 | 1 in 416 |
| North Dakota | #107 | 11 | 1 in 305 |
| Texas | #108 | 366 | 1 in 478 |
| North Carolina | #111 | 112 | 1 in 460 |
| Tennessee | #112 | 83 | 1 in 443 |
| Illinois | #119 | 99 | 1 in 501 |
| District of Columbia | #120 | 7 | 1 in 361 |
| Alabama | #124 | 43 | 1 in 500 |
| Michigan | #126 | 80 | 1 in 502 |
| Iowa | #127 | 32 | 1 in 432 |
| South Dakota | #127 | 10 | 1 in 384 |
| Kentucky | #129 | 43 | 1 in 478 |
| South Carolina | #129 | 43 | 1 in 493 |
| Ohio | #130 | 105 | 1 in 500 |
| Wisconsin | #130 | 47 | 1 in 499 |
| Minnesota | #132 | 49 | 1 in 500 |
| Kansas | #138 | 27 | 1 in 520 |
| Missouri | #139 | 52 | 1 in 535 |
| Arkansas | #141 | 25 | 1 in 503 |
| Idaho | #150 | 18 | 1 in 479 |
| Nebraska | #150 | 18 | 1 in 490 |
| Montana | #159 | 8 | 1 in 471 |
| Indiana | #172 | 49 | 1 in 646 |
| Mississippi | #215 | 14 | 1 in 774 |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Kai
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
- 17 spots since 2024 (#76 → #93)
- Same as 2020 (#93)
- 52 spots since 2015 (#145 → #93)
- Biggest jump: 176 spots in 1995
- Biggest drop: 102 spots in 1983
Rise & fade · boys
96 yrs to peak
- Debuted 1926
- Peaked 2022 at #59 (5,374 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 7 yrs
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 7 yrs · run 2019–2025
- Top 1,000: 45 yrs · run 1989–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 325
- Highest: 1 in 325 boys born in 2022 were named Kai (0.31%)
- Latest: 1 in 453 boys born in 2025 (0.22%)
Era · boys
The 2020s
- 38.3% of all boys named Kai (26,927) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
- The majority has never changed
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | #3,708 (1926) | #3,708 |
| 1930s | 6 | #3,361 (1932) | #3,361 |
| 1940s | 10 | #3,430 (1944) | #3,560 |
| 1950s | 148 | #1,559 (1959) | #2,237 |
| 1960s | 341 | #1,083 (1968) | #1,366 |
| 1970s | 592 | #945 (1979) | #1,110 |
| 1980s | 958 | #848 (1989) | #947 |
| 1990s | 2,640 | #478 (1999) | #682 |
| 2000s | 12,620 | #213 (2009) | #273 |
| 2010s | 25,984 | #100 (2019) | #161 |
| 2020s | 26,927 | #59 (2022) | #75 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Want to check a specific year?
See where Kai ranked and which names it was up against. Click a point on the chart, or pick a year: