Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Nakai

Gender Unisex · 16% girls Rank 2025 #2,275 Trend ↑ Rising 66%
Rank 2025
#2,275
among boys · ↑805 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
62
named Nakai · +29% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,550
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
62 babies
All-time total
1,132
#5,309 all-time among boys
First recorded
1974
in Social Security records

Nakai popularity over time

1,132 babies have been named Nakai since 1974, 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
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 21 17 38 4 – #3,843
1980s 6 – 6 1 -84% –
1990s 15 62 77 8 +1183% #4,342
2000s 60 283 343 34 +345% #2,751
2010s 62 305 367 37 +7% #2,987
2020s (to 2025) 21 280 301 50 +37% #2,275

Where Nakai 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 68 0.04 outside top 500
2027 73 0.04 outside top 500
2028 77 0.05 outside top 500
2029 81 0.05 outside top 500
2030 85 0.05 outside top 500

The story of Nakai

Nakai is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,275 in 2025 with 62 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1974, 1,132 American babies have been named Nakai, about 84% boys and 16% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 62 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 Nakai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nakai?

The median living Nakai is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 20. An estimated 1,100 people named Nakai are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Nakai 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 – – 62 #2,275
2024 8 #11,845 40 #3,080
2023 – – 49 #2,680
2022 – – 41 #3,038
2021 7 #13,099 54 #2,482
2020 6 #14,594 34 #3,321
2019 13 #8,470 32 #3,541
2018 9 #11,177 27 #3,958
2017 – – 40 #2,987
2016 5 #18,060 33 #3,412
2015 7 #14,051 38 #3,065
2014 – – 36 #3,141
2013 7 #14,186 27 #3,825
2012 9 #11,950 24 #4,215
2011 6 #16,194 24 #4,178
2010 6 #16,362 24 #4,198
2009 – – 32 #3,454
2008 14 #8,839 39 #3,046
2007 7 #15,002 44 #2,751
2006 – – 35 #3,133
2005 8 #12,668 32 #3,214
2004 12 #9,101 34 #2,997
2003 7 #13,412 28 #3,337
2002 – – 10 #6,890
2001 6 #14,795 23 #3,689
2000 6 #14,459 6 #9,926
1995 – – 6 #8,544
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 7 #7,700 9 #3,843
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 Nakai, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nakai?

The median living Nakai is about 12 years old. Half of all living Nakais are between 5 and 20 years old.

How many people named Nakai are alive today?

An estimated 1,100 people named Nakai are alive in the United States, based on 1,132 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Nakai in 2025?

Nakai ranked #2,275 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 62 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nakai?

1,132 babies have been named Nakai in the United States since 1974, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nakai most popular?

Nakai peaked in 2025, when 62 newborns received the name.

Is Nakai a boy or girl name?

Nakai is used for both: about 16% of babies named Nakai have been girls and 84% boys.

Is the name Nakai rising or falling?

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

Will Nakai become more popular?

Nakai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 85 boys named Nakai in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Nakai

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

Compare Nakai with similar names → More names starting with N →