How Many People Are Named Kai?
An estimated 73,735 people in the United States have the first name Kai. It is used for both genders, with 89.0% male. The average bearer is 13 years old, and Kai peaked in popularity in 2022 with 5,724 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kai as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Kai paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Kai is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 13, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
73,735
About 1 in 4,648 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
89.0% confidence
Average Age
13
years old
Peak Year
2022
5,724 births
Total Registered
74,652
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kai
Kai is predominantly male (89.0%), though 8,243 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Kai as a male name
Ranked #76 in 2024
4,276 male births in 2024
Peak: 2022 (5,366 births)
Kai as a female name
Ranked #1,133 in 2024
213 female births in 2024
Peak: 2021 (371 births)
Kai: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kai span from the 1920s to the 2020s, covering 11 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 28,996 babies were registered. Kai remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Kai by Decade
How has Kai tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Kai by State
Birth registrations for Kai span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Florida. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota. On average, about 1,377 Kais were registered per state.
Kai + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kai
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kai: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kai?
We estimate approximately 73,735 people named Kai are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 4,648 Americans share this first name.
Is Kai a common name?
Kai is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 74,652 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kai most popular?
Kai reached peak popularity in 2022, when 5,724 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kai is approximately 13 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Kai a male name?
Kai is predominantly male. 89.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Kai Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kai Smith, Kai Johnson, Kai Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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