Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Kanai

Gender Unisex · 29% girls Rank 2025 #3,213 Trend ↑ Rising 90%
Rank 2025
#3,213
among boys · ↑928 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
50
named Kanai · +47% vs 2024
How common
1 in 46,164
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
50 babies
All-time total
575
#8,936 all-time among boys
First recorded
1999
in Social Security records

Kanai popularity over time

575 babies have been named Kanai since 1999, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – 5 5 1 – #10,770
2000s 29 83 112 11 +2140% #6,258
2010s 70 157 227 23 +103% #4,322
2020s (to 2025) 70 161 231 39 +70% #3,213

Where Kanai is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 41 0.02 outside top 500
2027 44 0.03 outside top 500
2028 48 0.03 outside top 500
2029 51 0.03 outside top 500
2030 53 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Kanai

Kanai is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,213 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1999, 575 American babies have been named Kanai, about 71% boys and 29% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 50 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kanai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kanai?

The median living Kanai is about 8 years old; half are between 3 and 14. An estimated 600 people named Kanai are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kanai year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 13 #8,095 37 #3,213
2024 8 #11,624 26 #4,141
2023 9 #10,728 30 #3,763
2022 14 #7,830 29 #3,823
2021 17 #6,838 24 #4,310
2020 9 #10,678 15 #5,836
2019 5 #16,739 20 #4,889
2018 – – 17 #5,425
2017 11 #9,619 15 #5,939
2016 8 #12,299 13 #6,528
2015 6 #15,424 18 #5,174
2014 7 #13,784 18 #5,163
2013 9 #11,444 14 #6,078
2012 8 #12,784 23 #4,322
2011 7 #14,040 13 #6,417
2010 9 #11,736 6 #11,477
2009 10 #11,067 13 #6,631
2008 9 #12,085 14 #6,258
2007 5 #18,992 10 #7,887
2006 5 #18,569 12 #6,683
2005 – – 11 #6,876
2004 – – 9 #7,876
2003 – – – –
2002 – – – –
2001 – – 9 #7,217
2000 – – 5 #11,302
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kanai, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kanai?

The median living Kanai is about 8 years old. Half of all living Kanais are between 3 and 14 years old.

How many people named Kanai are alive today?

An estimated 600 people named Kanai are alive in the United States, based on 575 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kanai in 2025?

Kanai ranked #3,213 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kanai?

575 babies have been named Kanai in the United States since 1999, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kanai most popular?

Kanai peaked in 2025, when 50 newborns received the name.

Is Kanai a boy or girl name?

Kanai is used for both: about 29% of babies named Kanai have been girls and 71% boys.

Is the name Kanai rising or falling?

Kanai is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kanai become more popular?

Kanai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 53 boys named Kanai in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kanai

Names that sound and feel close to Kanai: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kanai with similar names → More names starting with K →