Unisex name · since 1926
Kai
70,232 babies named Kai in U.S. Social Security records since 1926, with the highest year being 2022. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #405 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #93 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 70,232
- born since 1926
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kai is the #93 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 70,232 recorded since 1926.
Kai has 70,232 recorded births among boys since 1926, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #93 as of the latest data, more common than 99.3% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1926 to 2025.
- #405 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #93 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 70,232 born since 1926
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kai ranks #405 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #93 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 70,232 born since 1926, peaking in the 2020s.
- #405 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #93 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 70,232
- born since 1926
- 2020s
- peak decade
Kai's 70,232 recorded births place it above 99.1% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kai compares
70,232 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Kai's all-time total is 190x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kai | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 70,232 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,374 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kai's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kai's SSA record in two at 1986 and the more recent half accounts for 98% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 2%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1944, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 5,374, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kai popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1926–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 5,374
- Annual births at peak, across 100 years of records
Kai popularity over time - girls
8,478 total births recorded since 1953 (Kai as girls' name)
Kai by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (26,927 births, 38% of the file).
2020s was Kai's strongest decade.
26,927 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Kai births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 6
1920s
6 births
- 1930s 6
1930s
6 births
- 1940s 10
1940s
10 births
- 1950s 148
1950s
148 births
- 1960s 341
1960s
341 births
- 1970s 592
1970s
592 births
- 1980s 958
1980s
958 births
- 1990s 2,640
1990s
2,640 births
- 2000s
2000s
12,620 births
- 2010s
2010s
25,984 births
- 2020s
2020s
26,927 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 26,927 births (38% of all-time use).
How Kai 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 Kai's total volume
Kai by state
Where Kai concentrates geographically, total births since 1926
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,155 | 17.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 5,431 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Florida | | 5,417 | 7.7% |
| #4 | New York | | 3,860 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Washington | | 2,453 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 2,064 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 2,050 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,913 | 2.7% |
12,155 of 70,232 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kai appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kai's data
- California records the most Kais (12,155 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kai
Nearby Names Like Kai
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kai
Compare Kai side by side: Kai vs Kaiden Kai vs Kairo Kai vs Kaison
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kai
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kai: 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 (~99 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, 1926–2025 (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 Kai 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.