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
Show data for
Peak · boys
2022 · 5,374 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
7 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
70,232
since 1926

Kai over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202004girlsat peakboysat peak
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
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,053234#933,768
2024#1,128214#764,301
2023#940282#614,976
2022#789358#595,374
2021#768371#704,641
2020#791344#933,867
2019#809338#1003,744
2018#853318#1123,463
2017#808338#1263,158
2016#876320#1452,895
2015#888311#1452,852
2014#989270#1772,411
2013#906282#1991,983
2012#917281#1971,938
2011#887294#2021,790
2010#955268#2051,750
2009#1,085235#2131,759
2008#1,104234#2291,609
2007#1,199210#2521,399
2006#1,299180#2381,451
2005#1,227185#2391,413
2004#1,302164#2481,324
2003#1,365148#2641,217
2002#1,252158#2761,108
2001#1,468128#370718
2000#1,412131#403622
1999#1,279144#478465
1998#1,366126#548363
1997#1,343128#575322
1996#1,72287#598297
1995#1,77681#534357
1994#1,68888#710216
1993#1,83079#783182
1992#2,01068#836159
1991#2,38853#831155
1990#2,40251#926124
1989#2,87938#848140
1988#2,48943#1,01393
1987#2,85234#921105
1986#3,13529#93296
1985#2,80433#91099
1984#2,05049#96085
1983#2,47537#1,02275
1982#2,41440#92094
1981#2,19546#95988
1980#1,73564#98983
1979#1,87456#94587
1978#1,59867#1,00574
1977#2,09145#1,06466
1976#2,06042#1,16354
1975#2,09741#1,09958
1974#1,96143#1,17150
1973#1,88544#1,12353
1972#1,83246#1,12952
1971#2,87424#1,33040
1970#3,11021#1,07058
1969#6,6176#1,15246
1968#3,78913#1,08347
1967#3,48414#1,18140
1966#4,19810#1,25936
1965#3,26415#1,33533
1964#6,0096#1,38432
1963#4,8968#1,31835
1962#3,43814#1,45429
1961#4,5469#1,68623
1960#5,1687#1,81220
1959#5,0317#1,55926
1958#4,1939#1,76620
1957#3,48912#2,01916
1956—#2,36112
1955—#1,64622
1954—#2,11414
1953#5,6735#2,53110
1952—#3,7345
1951—#2,05514
1950—#2,5809
1949—#3,6905
1948——
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1946——
1945——
1944—#3,4305
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1932—#3,3616
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1926—#3,7086
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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 2004

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #100 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 298 boysAKMaine: #138 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 623 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedNHWashington: #118 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 442 boysWAIdaho: #188 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 667 boysIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #262 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 1,496 boysMNIllinois: #339 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 2,117 boysILWisconsin: #286 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 1,839 boysWIMichigan: #471 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 3,508 boysMINew York: #213 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 1,291 boysNYMassachusetts: #246 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 1,701 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedRIOregon: #151 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 604 boysORNevada: #168 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 659 boysNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedSDIowa: #248 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,245 boysIAIndiana: #449 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 3,229 boysINOhio: #355 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 2,667 boysOHPennsylvania: #286 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 2,046 boysPANew Jersey: #225 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 1,484 boysNJConnecticut: #221 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,449 boysCTCalifornia: #170 for boys · 326 births · 1 in 773 boysCAUtah: #192 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 759 boysUTColorado: #212 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 956 boysCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedNEMissouri: #298 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,885 boysMOKentucky: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedKYWest Virginia: #275 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,783 boysWVVirginia: #207 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 1,185 boysVAMaryland: #177 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 920 boysMDDelaware: #180 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 821 boysDEArizona: #262 for boys · 31 births · 1 in 1,334 boysAZNew Mexico: #265 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 1,209 boysNMKansas: #283 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,381 boysKSArkansas: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedARTennessee: #468 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 3,265 boysTNNorth Carolina: #378 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 2,427 boysNCSouth Carolina: #312 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,746 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #168 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 661 boysDCOklahoma: #424 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 2,585 boysOKLouisiana: #350 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 1,820 boysLAMississippi: fewer than 5 boys named Kai, so not publishedMSAlabama: #616 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 4,706 boysALGeorgia: #336 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 1,944 boysGAHawaii: #48 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 173 boysHITexas: #434 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 3,036 boysTXFlorida: #223 for boys · 81 births · 1 in 1,180 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Hawaii#48 · 1 in 173
  2. Alaska#100 · 1 in 298
  3. Washington#118 · 1 in 442
  4. Maine#138 · 1 in 623
  5. Oregon#151 · 1 in 604

Best ever in a state: #2 in Hawaii, 2021.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Hawaii#48291 in 173
Alaska#100111 in 298
Washington#118781 in 442
Maine#13891 in 623
Oregon#151321 in 604
District of Columbia#16871 in 661
Nevada#168211 in 659
California#1703261 in 773
Maryland#177311 in 920
Delaware#18051 in 821
Idaho#188131 in 667
Utah#192291 in 759
Virginia#207361 in 1,185
Colorado#212311 in 956
New York#213851 in 1,291
Connecticut#221121 in 1,449
Florida#223811 in 1,180
New Jersey#225321 in 1,484
Massachusetts#246201 in 1,701
Iowa#248131 in 1,245
Arizona#262311 in 1,334
Minnesota#262201 in 1,496
New Mexico#26591 in 1,209
West Virginia#27551 in 1,783
Kansas#283121 in 1,381
Pennsylvania#286311 in 2,046
Wisconsin#286161 in 1,839
Missouri#298181 in 1,885
South Carolina#312121 in 1,746
Georgia#336301 in 1,944
Illinois#339371 in 2,117
Louisiana#350141 in 1,820
Ohio#355251 in 2,667
North Carolina#378211 in 2,427
Oklahoma#42481 in 2,585
Texas#434591 in 3,036
Indiana#449121 in 3,229
Tennessee#468111 in 3,265
Michigan#471161 in 3,508
Alabama#61651 in 4,706
Arkansas———
Kentucky———
Mississippi———
Montana———
Nebraska———
New Hampshire———
North Dakota———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
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 (#710 → #534)
  • Biggest drop: 102 spots in 1983 (#920 → #1,022)
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
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1920s6#3,708 (1926)#3,708
1930s6#3,361 (1932)#3,361
1940s10#3,430 (1944)#3,560
1950s148#1,559 (1959)#2,237
1960s341#1,083 (1968)#1,366
1970s592#945 (1979)#1,110
1980s958#848 (1989)#947
1990s2,640#478 (1999)#682
2000s12,620#213 (2009)#273
2010s25,984#100 (2019)#161
2020s26,927#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.

Kai in 2004

girls
#1,302
164 births · 1 in 11,197 girls
boys
#248
1,324 births · 1 in 1,499 boys

Top girls' names in 2004

  1. #1Emily25,042
  2. #2Emma21,625
  3. #3Madison20,628
  4. #4Olivia16,108
  5. #5Hannah15,614
  6. #6Abigail15,436
  7. #7Isabella15,021
  8. #8Ashley14,377
  9. #9Samantha13,786
  10. #10Elizabeth13,577
  11. #1,302Kai164

Top boys' names in 2004

  1. #1Jacob27,911
  2. #2Michael25,470
  3. #3Joshua24,214
  4. #4Matthew22,882
  5. #5Ethan22,210
  6. #6Andrew21,717
  7. #7Daniel21,018
  8. #8William20,237
  9. #9Joseph20,147
  10. #10Christopher19,636
  11. #248Kai1,324
More about 2004

girls

1,836,250 girls got a published name in 2004; 1 in 11,197 of them was named Kai, which outranked 93.1% of the 18,835 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kai
  1. #1,294Jacie165
  2. #1,294Kamya165
  3. #1,294Ryley165
  4. #1,302Kai164
  5. #1,302Adilene164
  6. #1,302Georgina164
  7. #1,302Jaylah164
  8. #1,308Aliah163
  9. #1,308Aniah163
  10. #1,308Bree163

Tied with 5 names at #1,302; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2003
Risers
  1. ↑ 948Rubi#1,561 → #613
  2. ↑ 607Kaydence#984 → #377
  3. ↑ 548Marin#1,383 → #835
  4. ↑ 543Diya#1,416 → #873
  5. ↑ 479Kadence#869 → #390
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,607Arly#949 → #2,556
  2. ↓ 433Shakira#747 → #1,180
  3. ↓ 414Anais#990 → #1,404
  4. ↓ 365Lisbeth#742 → #1,107
  5. ↓ 274Reanna#990 → #1,264

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,984,979 boys got a published name in 2004; 1 in 1,499 of them was named Kai, which outranked 98.1% of the 13,228 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Kai
  1. #245Brock1,349
  2. #246Alec1,333
  3. #247Phillip1,325
  4. #248Kai1,324
  5. #248Derrick1,324
  6. #250Chance1,321
  7. #251Johnny1,317
  8. #252Keith1,315

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2003
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,308Koda#2,238 → #930
  2. ↑ 1,190Tayshaun#2,153 → #963
  3. ↑ 1,006Kanye#1,492 → #486
  4. ↑ 910Kyan#1,497 → #587
  5. ↑ 814Jaidyn#1,630 → #816
Fallers
  1. ↓ 455Jahiem#873 → #1,328
  2. ↓ 325Ervin#942 → #1,267
  3. ↓ 323Jahir#809 → #1,132
  4. ↓ 282Jaheim#457 → #739
  5. ↓ 270Sabastian#946 → #1,216

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2004 →