Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Sakai

Meaning Sakai is both a Japanese surname and a given name Gender Unisex · 14% girls Rank 2025 #1,398 Trend ↑ Rising 338%

Sakai is both a Japanese surname and a given name.

Rank 2025
#1,398
among boys · ↑993 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
131
named Sakai · +102% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,039
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
131 babies
All-time total
644
#7,413 all-time among boys
First recorded
1998
in Social Security records

Sakai popularity over time

644 babies have been named Sakai since 1998, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 10 10 1 – #10,994
2000s 39 90 129 13 +1190% #5,526
2010s 28 109 137 14 +6% #4,778
2020s (to 2025) 23 345 368 61 +348% #1,398

Where Sakai 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 169 0.10 outside top 500
2027 210 0.12 outside top 500
2028 252 0.15 outside top 500
2029 295 0.17 outside top 500
2030 337 0.20 outside top 500

Where Sakai is most popular

Boys named Sakai per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.037 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Louisiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sakai born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 32 0.121 +224%
Georgia 26 0.103 +176%
Louisiana 6 0.059 +58%
Virginia 10 0.053 +42%
South Carolina 5 0.048 +30%
New York 18 0.042 +12%
Michigan 6 0.029 -21%
Texas 22 0.025 -33%
Illinois 6 0.023 -37%
Florida 11 0.023 -37%
Ohio 6 0.023 -39%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -47%
California 14 0.015 -59%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sakai

Sakai is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,398 in 2025 with 131 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1998, 644 American babies have been named Sakai, about 86% boys and 14% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 131 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 Sakai stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sakai?

The median living Sakai is about 4 years old; half are between 1 and 15. An estimated 600 people named Sakai are alive in the United States today.

median 4 020406080100

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

Sakai 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 – – 131 #1,398
2024 6 #14,966 59 #2,391
2023 – – 49 #2,685
2022 11 #9,562 57 #2,463
2021 6 #14,956 25 #4,215
2020 – – 24 #4,253
2019 – – 21 #4,778
2018 – – 10 #8,046
2017 – – 8 #9,536
2016 6 #15,898 6 #11,878
2015 – – 5 #13,687
2014 – – 6 #11,862
2013 – – 12 #6,945
2012 5 #19,051 10 #8,030
2011 8 #13,145 14 #6,194
2010 9 #12,090 17 #5,430
2009 12 #9,870 13 #6,744
2008 6 #17,099 11 #7,609
2007 7 #15,168 6 #12,091
2006 – – 14 #6,035
2005 9 #11,647 15 #5,526
2004 – – 10 #7,424
2003 5 #17,862 8 #8,481
2002 – – 6 #10,423
2001 – – 7 #9,049
2000 – – – –
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 Sakai, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sakai?

The median living Sakai is about 4 years old. Half of all living Sakais are between 1 and 15 years old.

How many people named Sakai are alive today?

An estimated 600 people named Sakai are alive in the United States, based on 644 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sakai mean?

Sakai is both a Japanese surname and a given name.

How popular is the name Sakai in 2025?

Sakai ranked #1,398 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 131 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sakai?

644 babies have been named Sakai in the United States since 1998, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sakai most popular?

Sakai peaked in 2025, when 131 newborns received the name.

Is Sakai a boy or girl name?

Sakai is used for both: about 14% of babies named Sakai have been girls and 86% boys.

Is the name Sakai rising or falling?

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

Will Sakai become more popular?

Sakai is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 337 boys named Sakai in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Sakai

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

Compare Sakai with similar names → More names starting with S →