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Name Biscuit

Unisex name

Kai

Kai ranks #226 out of 55,875 dog names in our data (the #1 dog name is Bella). Across all 14 places, 356 dogs carry the name. It's also a cat name: #121 among boy cat names.
Kai's popularity trend

Kai's share of dogs, year by year — or toggle to its yearly rank. Peak year by share: 2025.

0.02%0.04%0.06%200720112015201920232025
Dogs in our data
356
across 14 places
Popularity rank
#226
of 55,875 dog names
5-year rank move
+122
2020 → 2025
Gender split
73% boys
27% girls73% boys
What does Kai mean?
/kaɪ/1 syllableOrigin: Germanic languages

Kai is a short, breezy name used across several unrelated cultures, which makes its exact roots depend on where you look. It functions as a Hawaiian word for 'sea,' and it's also used as a short form of Germanic and Frisian names; several sources connect it to a root meaning 'sea' in that Germanic tradition as well.

However you trace it, the watery association fits a pet who loves the beach, the bathtub, or just being outdoors. Kai is short, easy to call across a yard, and carries an easy, open-air kind of cool.

Etymology & pronunciation from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Where Kai shows up

Kai's share of each place's counted dogs. Places count differently — hover a Share figure for the basis. Click a heading to sort.

TorontoCanada0.2%
SeattleUnited States of America0.1%
Maple RidgeCanada0.1%
CambridgeUnited States of America0.1%
New York CityUnited States of America0.1%
WorcesterUnited States of America0.1%
Basel-StadtSwitzerland0.0%
Allegheny CountyUnited States of America0.0%
DarwinAustralia0.0%
Port Adelaide EnfieldAustralia0.0%
Noosa ShireAustralia0.0%
ZürichSwitzerland0.0%
PlayfordAustralia0.0%

Names like Kai

Kai appears on

Kai means, by theme