The meaning of the name “Kai” is different in several languages, countries and cultures and has more than one possibly same or different meanings available.
Additional information: Kai is a multicultural name that can be used for baby boys and girls, although it is more popular as a masculine name. Because of its roots in many different languages, it has an equally high number of different meanings – in Mandarin Chinese it means ‘victory’, in Hawaiian it means ‘ocean’, in Japanese it can mean ‘shell’, ‘ocean’, ‘restoration’, or ‘recovery’, in Navajo Kai means ‘willow tree’, in Scottish it means ‘fire’, and this is only scratching the surface of the name’s origins and meanings. There are also a lot of foreign variants of the name, including Cai (Welsh, from the Arthurian legends of Sir Kay), Kay (German), and Kaj (Danish). The name is commonly misspelled as ‘Kaia’, ‘Ki’, and ‘Kail’. It can also be a nickname for the feminine "Kaja" in Swedish, or from the masculine "Gaius" in German, Dutch and Finnish.
The name Kai has seen a significant increase in popularity since 1979, where it only just reached the top thousand names at 956th. By 2014, Kai was the 177th most popular name for boys in the USA, and 999th for girls. Kai is more popular in England and Wales, and has been in the top hundred names since 1998, sitting at 64 in 2013. However, the name is rarely used for girls, and hasn’t yet reached the top thousand.
Famous people with the name Kai include Zou Kai (Chinese Olympian), Kai Altair (American musician), and Kai Owen (Welsh actor). Fictional characters called Kai feature in Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, the animated series The Legend of Korra, and the Harvest Moon video game series.
In the legends of the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Kay was said to be King Arthur’s foster brother, and was one of the first Knights of the Round Table. He could supposedly grow as tall as trees, radiate heat from his hands, and go nine days without breathing or sleeping.
The first thing you should know if you are considering Kai for your baby's name is that in most countries all over the world the name Kai is a unisex name, used as a boy name and a girl name.
The name Kai is of Finnish, Hawaiian, Native American, Scandinavian origins, which means it has more than one root, and is used in more than one countries and different languages of the world, especially English speaking countries, Finnish speaking countries, Hawaiian speaking countries among others.
If you consider naming your baby Kai we recommend you take note of the special meaning and history of the name as your baby’s name will play a big role in its life and your baby will hear it spoken every day. Searching for a name is a very important and fun process as it’s the very first gift you will give to your baby. Many people believe that the name can affect success in life, through their children's working career and other circumstances, so they choose more “respectable” names or name meanings as they believe that the name meaning reflects the personality of the child.
Kai Name Meaning
The meaning of Kai has more than one different etymologies. It has same or different meanings in other countries and languages. The different meanings of the name Kai are:
Finnish Meaning: Rejoice
Hawaiian Meaning: Ocean
American meaning: Earth
Native American meaning: Navajo: Willow tree
Scottish meaning: Keeper of the keys
Scandinavian meaning: Earth
Chinese meaning: Mandarin: victory
Japanese meaning: shell
Keep in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages, so be careful that the name that you choose doesn’t mean something bad or unpleasant. Search comprehensively and find the name meaning of Kai and its name origin or of any other name in our database. Also note the spelling and the pronunciation of the name Kai and check the initials of the name with your last name to discover how it looks and sounds. The history and meaning of the name Kai is fascinating, learn more about it. (If you know more meanings of the name and you would like to contribute click here to submit another name meaning).
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Name Kai Categories
The name Kai is in the following categories: American Names, Chinese Names, Cool Names, Finnish Names, Hawaiian Names, Japanese Names, Mandarin Names, Native American Names, Scandinavian Names, Scottish Names, Unisex Names. (If you would like to suggest one or more categories for the name, click here). We have plenty of different baby name categories to search for special meanings plus popular and unique names, search our database before choosing but also note that baby name categories designed to help you and not to be an influential factor when choosing a name. Instead, we recommend that you pay a greater attention to the origin and meaning of the name Kai. Read our baby name articles for useful tips regarding baby names and naming your baby. If you are thinking of giving your baby the beautiful name Kai, spread the love and share this with your friends.
Popularity of the Name Kai
Below you will find the popularity of the baby name Kai displayed annually, from 1880 to the present day in our name popularity chart. Hover over or click on the dots that represent a year to see how many babies were given the name for that year, for both genders, if available.
Kai Boy Name Popularity Chart
Kai Girl Name Popularity Chart
Note:The data above is from the Social Security Administrator of United States, (more info here) from Social Security card applications for births in US for every name, from 1880 up to the present year. The gender associated with the name might be incorrect, as the data presents the record applications without being edited for errors. The name's popularity and ranking is announced annually, so the data for this year will not be available until next year. The more babies that are given a name, the higher popularity ranking the name receives. For names with the same popularity, the tie is solved by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. This means that if two or more names have the same popularity their rankings may differ significantly, as they are set in alphabetical order. If a name has less than five occurrences, the SSA excludes it from the provided data to protect privacy.
Songs and Videos about the name Kai:
Although there aren’t many songs with the name Kai featured in the lyrics, there are some that have Kai in their titles – these include Kai by The Future Sound of London, and Agni Kai and Last Agni Kai by Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn.
If you’re not sure yet, see our wide selection of both boy names and girl names all over the world to find the ideal name for your new born baby. We offer a comprehensive and meaningful list of popular names and cool names along with the name's origin, meaning, pronunciation, popularity and additional information.
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Do your research and choose a name wisely, kindly and selflessly.
Our research is continuous so that we can deliver a high quality service; our lists are reviewed by our name experts regularly but if you think the information on this page is incorrect or incomplete, please let us know. Use our contact form to submit your suggestions, or leave your comment below.
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2 Comments
Kai EL’ Zabar
December 29, 2021 @
7:26 pm
Interesting! My name is Kai pronounced Kye-ee. It is African in origin Swahili and means ‘Spoiled daughter”–(a girl’s first love affair is with her father. And should he provide, protect and respect her honor; she will seek the same characteristics in a mate.
The Arabic meaning as explained to me means a door or opening . . .
I love how you can weave a story from all of the meanings to see the similarities.
Interesting! My name is Kai pronounced Kye-ee. It is African in origin Swahili and means Soiled daughter (a girl’s first love affair is with her father. And should he provide, protect and respect her honor; she will seek the same characteristics in a mate.
The Arabic meaning explained to me that it means door or opening . . .
Kai
December 29, 2021 @ 7:26 pm
Interesting! My name is Kai pronounced Kye-ee. It is African in origin Swahili and means ‘Spoiled daughter”–(a girl’s first love affair is with her father. And should he provide, protect and respect her honor; she will seek the same characteristics in a mate.
The Arabic meaning as explained to me means a door or opening . . .
I love how you can weave a story from all of the meanings to see the similarities.
December 29, 2021 @ 7:23 pm
Interesting! My name is Kai pronounced Kye-ee. It is African in origin Swahili and means Soiled daughter (a girl’s first love affair is with her father. And should he provide, protect and respect her honor; she will seek the same characteristics in a mate.
The Arabic meaning explained to me that it means door or opening . . .