How popular is the baby name Kai in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Kai.

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Popularity of the baby name Kai


Posts that mention the name Kai

Popular baby names in Gibraltar, 2022

Flag of Gibraltar
Flag of Gibraltar

The British overseas territory of Gibraltar is a narrow peninsula jutting out from the southern coast of Spain.

Though the official language of Gibraltar is English, most Gibraltarians also speak Spanish. (In fact, the mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English spoken by locals has its own name: Llanito.)

Last year, Gibraltar welcomed 364 babies — “almost a baby for every day of 2022.” There were 179 baby girls and 185 baby boys.

And what were the most popular names among these babies? Sienna and Elijah/Leo (tie).

Here are Gibraltar’s top girl names and top boy names of 2022:

Girl names

  1. Sienna, 6 baby girls
  2. Ava and Lucia, 5 each (tie)
  3. Emily, Isabella, and Valentina, 4 each (3-way tie)
  4. Amelia, Chloe, Isla, Lauren, and Lily, 3 each (5-way tie)
  5. Charlotte, Eliza, Elsie, Gabriella, India, Luna, Mia, Robyn, Sophie, Thalia, and Tiana, 2 each (11-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Elijah and Leo, 5 baby boys each (tie)
  2. Noah, Oliver, Theo, and Thomas, 4 each (4-way tie)
  3. Jamie, Lewis, Lucas, and Thiago, 3 each (4-way tie)
  4. Amir, Arthur, Erik, Freddie, Gabriel, Hugo, Isaac, Jack, Jacob, James, Jason, Joseph, Kai, Liam, Logan, Louie, Luca, Mason, Matthew, Niall, Nico, Ryan, Theodore, and Zayn, 2 each (24-way tie)

The rest of the names were each bestowed once. (Except for Riley, which was bestowed twice overall — once for each gender.)

Unique girl names (120)Unique boy names (93)
Ada, Adeline, Adelyn, Ahriella, Alba, Alessandra, Alis, Alisha, Aliyanna, Alona, Amaya, Amelie-Rae, Amira, Ana, Andie, Anna, Aoife, April, Arabella, Ari, Aria, Ariana, Arianna, Arieya, Aris, Aubrey, Avery, Cali, Callie, Celeste, Cipbelynn, Cora, Daisy, Daisy-Ray, Dayana, Elise, Ellen, Emma, Esme, Estella, Evelyn, Fae, Farah, Faye, Fern, Florence, Haley, Harlequin, Hayley, Ines, Jessie, Josephine, Josie, Julia, Kairo, Kennan, Kian, Killian, Kyel, Kylo, Kate, Katie, Kyla, Kythea, Layan, Layla, Leah, Leticia, Lina, Lottie, Maeva, Maia, Manuela, Margaret, Margot, Mariam, Matilde, Maya, Mayra, Melianne, Mila, Millie, Molly, Neriah, Nora, Nylah-Mae, Poppy, Presley, Quinn, Radhika, Raya, Renaelia, Rhianne, Riley, Roeeya, Rose, Ruby, Rumi, Sara, Savannah, Selina, Shannah, Siera, Snow, Sophia, Stella, Summer, Talia, Tasnim, Thea, Tillie, Willow, Winter, Yael, Yara, Yasmin, Yui, Zahra, Zaphyr, ZoeAbdurhman, Abel, Airam, Alaa, Alfie, Alfred, Andrei, Anthony, Archie, Ariel, Asher, Ashton, Austin, Axton, Bear, Benas, Bowie, Bradley, Cairo, Carlos, Charlie, Cody, Crislee, Dante, Domenico, Dominic, Dylan, Elias, Elis, Emilian, Emilio, Ethan, Evan, Finley, Frankie, Gary, Gian, Graham, Haroun, Henry, Hudson, Imram, Iyad, Jake, Jax, Jay, Jayce, Jayden, Jesse, Jonah, Joud, Leigh, Louis, Luis, Luke, Manuel, Marco, Mattia, Maxwell, Michael, Millel, Nassim, Nathan, Neo, Nicholas, Nicolas, Nilan, Noa, Nuveshshing, Nyan, Nyle, Oscar, Otis, Otto, Ray, Rayan, Remy, Riley, Rocco, Romeo, Samy, Scott, Sebastian, Shane, Stephen, Teo, Tommy, Tyler, Wael, Yaqub, Zachary, Zack, Zuhayr

Finally, here are Gibraltar’s 2021 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married in Gibraltar in March of 1969?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Gibraltar (public domain)

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2022

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

The island nation of New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles east of Australia.

Last year, New Zealand welcomed a total of 59,711 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Oliver.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Isla, 246 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 210
  3. Charlotte, 208
  4. Mila, 182
  5. Lily, 180
  6. Ava, 179
  7. Willow, 177
  8. Olivia, 175
  9. Harper, 167
  10. Sophie, 166
  11. Hazel, 164
  12. Mia, 161
  13. Ella, 157
  14. Isabella, 156
  15. Ruby, 149
  16. Chloe, 144
  17. Millie, 137
  18. Zoe, 130
  19. Grace, 128
  20. Lucy, 117 (tie)
  21. Olive, 117 (tie)
  22. Emily, 116
  23. Aria, 115
  24. Freya, 114
  25. Ivy, 111
  26. Evelyn, 110
  27. Georgia, 105 (tie)
  28. Sienna, 105 (tie)
  29. Layla, 102 (tie)
  30. Poppy, 102 (tie)
  31. Matilda, 101 (tie)
  32. Sophia, 101 (tie)
  33. Frankie, 100
  34. Luna, 96
  35. Mackenzie, 95
  36. Ellie, 94
  37. Sadie, 92
  38. Maia, 91
  39. Florence, 87
  40. Riley, 86
  41. Isabelle, 85 (tie)
  42. Margot, 85 (tie)
  43. Maeve, 84
  44. Evie, 83 (tie)
  45. Violet, 83 (tie)
  46. Aurora, 80 (tie)
  47. Billie, 80 (tie)
  48. Daisy, 78
  49. Sofia, 75
  50. Eleanor, 73

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 274 baby boys
  2. Noah, 262
  3. Leo, 243
  4. Jack, 234
  5. Luca, 222
  6. Theodore, 219
  7. George, 211
  8. Charlie, 195
  9. Hudson, 169 (tie)
  10. William, 169 (tie)
  11. Oscar, 166
  12. Arthur, 160
  13. Elijah, 158
  14. Arlo, 156
  15. Thomas, 151
  16. James, 150
  17. Archie, 146
  18. Henry, 144
  19. Lucas, 140
  20. Hunter, 138
  21. Liam, 136
  22. Mason, 130
  23. Theo, 124
  24. Ezra, 123 (tie)
  25. Max, 123 (tie)
  26. Levi, 121
  27. Cooper, 120
  28. Carter, 114
  29. Hugo, 112
  30. Lachlan, 110
  31. Asher, 109
  32. Beau, 108
  33. Finn, 104
  34. Archer, 103 (tie)
  35. Felix, 103 (tie)
  36. Benjamin, 100 (tie)
  37. Luka, 100 (tie)
  38. Jasper, 94
  39. Luke, 92
  40. Harry, 91
  41. Ethan, 88
  42. Alexander, 87 (tie)
  43. Roman, 87 (tie)
  44. Grayson, 85 (tie)
  45. Harrison, 85 (tie)
  46. Jackson, 83 (3-way tie)
  47. Lincoln, 83 (3-way tie)
  48. Samuel, 83 (3-way tie)
  49. Jacob, 82 (tie)
  50. Louie, 82 (tie)

This is the tenth year in a row that Oliver has been New Zealand’s #1 boy name.

The news release also mentioned that the “most popular gender-neutral name for 2022 was Riley,” which ranked 40th for girls and 51st for boys.

And what about the top Maori baby names?

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha / Te Aroha
  2. Aria
  3. Anahera
  4. Maia
  5. Moana
  6. Kaia
  7. Manaia
  8. Atarangi / Te Atarangi
  9. Ataahua
  10. Marama

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki / Te Ariki / Teariki
  2. Nikau
  3. Wiremu
  4. Rawiri
  5. Mikaere
  6. Manaia
  7. Kai
  8. Manaaki
  9. Kahurangi
  10. Koa

There are a couple of things we need to note about the Maori baby name rankings, though.

First, the Maori rankings don’t cover the same period of time as the national rankings. Instead, they cover births from June 21, 2022, to July 9, 2023. Why? Because these dates are linked to Matariki, or Maori New Year. (The Maori word Matariki refers to both the Pleiades star cluster and to the yearly celebration of the Pleiades’ return to the night sky, in late June or early July).

Second, a more thorough process is now being used to determine which names to include in the Maori rankings. Previously, the only criterion was that the names be made up of letters in the Maori alphabet. Now, on top of that, the names must: end in a vowel, be “carefully considered and checked,” be discussed with a Maori elder, and be reviewed by the Maori Language Commission.

In 2021, the top names overall in New Zealand were Charlotte and Oliver.

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Aotearoa’s top ten Maori baby names of the year revealed for Matariki, Matariki (the Pleiades) – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Top lengths of U.S. baby names in 2022

Which lengths were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2022?

Top length for girl names: 6 letters

For baby girls, the most-used length was 6 letters, followed by 5 and 7.

Top lengths for U.S. baby girl names, 2022

The most popular girl names per length were…

  • 2 letters (given to over 200 baby girls): Jo, An, Bo, Zo
  • 3 letters (over 58,300): Ava, Mia, Zoe, Ivy
  • 4 letters (over 227,100): Emma, Luna, Mila, Aria
  • 5 letters (over 351,100): Sofia, Emily, Chloe, Avery
  • 6 letters (over 464,600): Olivia, Amelia, Sophia, Evelyn
  • 7 letters (over 306,400): Eleanor, Abigail, Madison, Lillian
  • 8 letters (over 141,400): Isabella, Scarlett, Penelope, Victoria
  • 9 letters (over 70,700): Charlotte, Elizabeth, Valentina, Josephine
  • 10 letters (over 7,800): Evangeline, Alessandra, Alexandria, Jacqueline
  • 11 letters (over 300): Christianna, Anavictoria, Oliviagrace, Mariaisabel
  • 12 letters (90): Marymargaret
  • 13 letters (over 100): Oluwadarasimi
  • 14 letters (19): Elizabethgrace/Mariadelcarmen (tie)
  • 15 letters (5): Sophiaelizabeth

Top length for boy names: 6 letters

For baby boys, the most-used length was also 6 letters, followed by 5 and 4.

Top lengths for U.S. baby boy names, 2022

The most popular boy names per length were…

  • 2 letters (given to over 1,700 baby boys): Bo, Ty, Aj, Cy
  • 3 letters (over 52,300): Leo, Kai, Eli, Ian
  • 4 letters (over 294,400): Liam, Noah, Levi, Jack
  • 5 letters (over 452,900): James, Henry, Lucas, Mateo
  • 6 letters (over 509,300): Oliver, Elijah, Daniel, Samuel
  • 7 letters (over 261,500): William, Michael, Jackson, Gabriel
  • 8 letters (over 107,300): Benjamin, Theodore, Maverick, Santiago
  • 9 letters (over 41,500): Sebastian, Alexander, Christian, Nathaniel
  • 10 letters (over 3,700): Alessandro, Maximilian, Kristopher, Montgomery
  • 11 letters (over 7,700): Christopher, Maximiliano, Abdulrahman/Constantine/Muhammadali (3-way tie)
  • 12 letters (over 200): Michelangelo
  • 13 letters (over 100): Muhammadyusuf
  • 14 letters (11): Michaelanthony
  • 15 letters (7): Muhammadibrahim

Source: SSA

Top first letters of U.S. baby names in 2022

Which first letters were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2022?

Top first letters for girl names: A, E, M

For baby girls, the most-used first letter was A, followed by E and M. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby girl names, 2022

The most popular girl names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 267,800 baby girls): Amelia, Ava, Aria, Abigail
  • B-names (over 47,600): Brooklyn, Bella, Brielle, Blakely
  • C-names (over 91,300): Charlotte, Camila, Chloe, Claire
  • D-names (over 41,500): Delilah, Daisy, Diana, Delaney
  • E-names (over 154,200): Emma, Evelyn, Elizabeth, Eleanor
  • F-names (over 17,000): Freya, Faith, Finley, Fatima
  • G-names (over 41,500): Gianna, Grace, Genesis, Gabriella
  • H-names (over 55,000): Harper, Hazel, Hannah, Hailey
  • I-names (over 46,000): Isabella, Isla, Ivy, Iris
  • J-names (over 71,600): Josephine, Jade, Julia, Juniper
  • K-names (over 86,400): Kinsley, Kennedy, Kehlani, Kaylee
  • L-names (over 118,000): Luna, Layla, Lily, Lucy
  • M-names (over 147,000): Mia, Mila, Madison, Maya
  • N-names (over 59,400): Nora, Nova, Naomi, Natalie
  • O-names (over 30,500): Olivia, Oakley, Olive, Oaklynn
  • P-names (over 36,600): Penelope, Paisley, Piper, Parker
  • Q-names (over 4,000): Quinn, Quincy, Queen, Quinley
  • R-names (over 74,200): Riley, Ruby, Raelynn, Rylee
  • S-names (over 119,300): Sophia, Sofia, Scarlett, Stella
  • T-names (over 23,500): Taylor, Tatum, Teagan, Thea
  • U-names (over 600): Unique, Uma, Una, Unity
  • V-names (over 34,700): Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian
  • W-names (over 16,100): Willow, Wren, Wrenley, Winter
  • X-names (over 4,900): Ximena, Xiomara, Xyla, Xena
  • Y-names (over 9,100): Yaretzi, Yara, Yareli, Yamileth
  • Z-names (over 29,500): Zoe, Zoey, Zuri, Zara

Top first letters for boy names: J, A, L

For baby boys, the most-used first letter was J, followed by A and L. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby boy names, 2022

The most popular boy names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 181,000 baby boys): Alexander, Asher, Aiden, Anthony
  • B-names (over 82,300): Benjamin, Brooks, Bennett, Beau
  • C-names (over 121,500): Carter, Charles, Caleb, Cooper
  • D-names (over 84,000): Daniel, David, Dylan, Dominic
  • E-names (over 109,900): Elijah, Ethan, Ezra, Elias
  • F-names (over 20,500): Finn, Felix, Finley, Francisco
  • G-names (over 51,500): Gabriel, Grayson, Greyson, Gael
  • H-names (over 50,000): Henry, Hudson, Hunter, Harrison
  • I-names (over 32,300): Isaac, Isaiah, Ian, Ivan
  • J-names (over 195,800): James, Jack, Jackson, John
  • K-names (over 94,800): Kai, Kayden, Kingston, Kaiden
  • L-names (over 132,400): Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo
  • M-names (over 128,900): Mateo, Michael, Mason, Matthew
  • N-names (over 56,200): Noah, Nathan, Nolan, Nicholas
  • O-names (over 40,500): Oliver, Owen, Oscar, Omar
  • P-names (over 23,100): Parker, Peter, Patrick, Preston
  • Q-names (over 2,800): Quinn, Quentin, Quincy, Quinton
  • R-names (over 82,200): Roman, Ryan, Robert, Rowan
  • S-names (over 73,500): Sebastian, Samuel, Santiago, Silas
  • T-names (over 61,100): Theodore, Thomas, Theo, Thiago
  • U-names (over 2,600): Uriel, Uriah, Ulises, Ulysses
  • V-names (over 11,100): Vincent, Victor, Valentino, Vicente/Vincenzo (tie)
  • W-names (over 50,300): William, Wyatt, Waylon, Wesley
  • X-names (over 7,000): Xavier, Xander, Xzavier, Xavion
  • Y-names (over 9,000): Yusuf, Yosef, Yehuda, Yahir
  • Z-names (over 27,600): Zion, Zachary, Zayden, Zane

Source: SSA