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[ 1 syll. kai, ka-i ] The boy name Kai is sometimes used as a girl name. Its pronunciation is KAY †. 1: Kai is a Dutch, Finnish, Frisian, German, Scandinavian, and Welsh name of Latin origin. Derived from the element 'gaudere' which means to rejoice. Caius (Latin) and Gaius (Latin) are old forms of Kai. The name is of multiple origins; its oldest derivation is as a Welsh form of the Roman Caius. As a German name, it could also be from Caius, or it could be of Old Norse origin, or else it could have developed as a Frisian short form of Gerhard. The name was first introduced to English speakers during the Roman occupation, and it soon became known as the name of Sir Kay or Kai, one of the first Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. The knight's boorish character made the name unpopular among early English speakers. In literature, it later appeared in Hans Christian Andersen's story The Snow Queen (1845), as the name of the little boy Kay who struggled between good and evil. The name is rather common in Denmark. The name Kaja (Polish, German, and Scandinavian) is the female version of Kai. Cai (Scandinavian and Welsh), Caj (Scandinavian), Caw (Welsh), Cay (German), Kaj (German and Scandinavian), Kay (German and Welsh), Kája (Czech), and Kájin (Czech) are variants of Kai. 2: Kai is of Old Norse origin. Derived from the element 'katha' meaning hen, chicken. 3: Kai is an English and Hawaiian name of Hawaiian origin. Meaning: sea. The popularity of the name in the late 20th century is probably attributed to this derivation. 4: Kai's origin is Chinese. Meaning: victorious; open; beginning. The meaning of the name differs depending on the Chinese character being used. In addition, Kai is a pet form (Frisian) of the name Gerhard (English, German, and Scandinavian) as well as a variant (Frisian) of the name Gerard (English, French, and Dutch). See also the related form, Gaudenz (German). Kai is popular as a baby name for boys, and it is also considered fairly trendy. The name's popularity has been rising since the 1980s. At the modest peak of its usage in 2008, 0.073% of baby boys were given the name Kai. It ranked at #229 then. Out of all boy names in its group, Kai was the most widely used in 2008. Baby names that sound like Kai include Ky (English), Cai (Scandinavian and Welsh), Chi, Kace (English), Kaese (English), Kaj (German and Scandinavian), Kajík (Czech), Kasch (English), Kase (English), Kass (English), Kay (German and Welsh), Kea, Kees (Dutch), Kesse, Kew (English), Kewe, Key, Keyes (English), Ko (Tamil), and Koi (Choctaw).
† English pronunciation for Kai: K as in "key (K.IY)" ; AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)"   |
