| Kai | Keahi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | sea | The fire |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | KY | keh-AH-hee |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1926 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (5,374) | 2016 (17) |
| In 2025 | 3,768 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kai | Keahi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 26,927 | 74 |
| 2010s | 25,984 | 134 |
| 2000s | 12,620 | 89 |
| 1990s | 2,640 | 27 |
| 1980s | 958 | 5 |
| 1970s | 592 | 0 |
| 1960s | 341 | 0 |
| 1950s | 148 | 0 |
| 1940s | 10 | 0 |
| 1930s | 6 | 0 |
| 1920s | 6 | 0 |
Most commonly taken from Hawaiian 'kai', meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'. The same short sound exists independently in several languages (Japanese, Scandinavian forms of names like Kajus, and others), but its modern Western popularity leans on the Hawaiian 'sea' meaning.
Hawaiian name combining the definite article 'ke' with 'ahi' ('fire'), literally 'the fire'. Listed as unisex by Behind the Name.
Kai is more popular than Keahi today: about 3,768 US babies were given the name Kai in 2025, compared with 0 named Keahi.
Kai means sea (hawaiian origin), while Keahi means The fire (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Kai first appears in 1926 and Keahi in 0, so Keahi has the longer recorded history.