Unisex name · since 1989
Cai
1,450 babies named Cai in U.S. Social Security records since 1989, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,052 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,118 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,450
- born since 1989
- 2010s
- peak decade
Cai currently ranks #2118 among unisex names in America, with 1,450 babies recorded since 1989.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cai has been recorded 1,450 times among boys since 1989, currently ranked #2118 nationally and more common than 85% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1989 to 2025.
- #4,052 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,118 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,450 born since 1989
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cai ranks #4,052 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,118 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,450 born since 1989, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4,052 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,118 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,450
- born since 1989
- 2010s
- peak decade
Cai's 1,450 recorded births place it above 91.07% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Cai compares
1,450 Top 26% higher than 74% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cai's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cai | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,450 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 108 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cai's full recorded timeline at 2008, 83% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 17% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1989, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2022 peak of 108 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cai popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1989–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 108
- Annual births at peak, across 37 years of records
Cai popularity over time - girls
495 total births recorded since 1996 (Cai as girls' name)
Cai by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (620 births, 43% of the file).
2010s was Cai's strongest decade.
620 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Cai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 1990s 60
1990s
60 births
- 2000s
2000s
266 births
- 2010s
2010s
620 births
- 2020s
2020s
499 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 620 births (43% of all-time use).
How Cai compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cai's total volume
Cai by state
Where Cai concentrates geographically, total births since 1989
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 113 | 7.8% |
| #2 | Florida | | 110 | 7.6% |
| #3 | California | | 89 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 42 | 2.9% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 24 | 1.7% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 15 | 1.0% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 15 | 1.0% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 12 | 0.8% |
113 of 1,450 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.
Cai appears in 18 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Cai's data
- Cai's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (620 total births) through the 2020s (499) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Cais (113 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cai
Nearby Names Like Cai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cai
Compare Cai side by side: Cai vs Caiden Cai vs Cairo Cai vs Cain
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cai
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cai: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~36 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1989–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cai draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.