Cai
Boy name · #2118 in 2025 · Very rare
Cai ranks #2118 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 69 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1815, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 26,087 boys born in 2025 was named Cai.
The 36-year story
Cai first appears in the Social Security records in 1989, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 108 babies and a rank of #1611. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Cai per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cai against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cai in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Cai is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Cai will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Cai is most common
State-level data for Cai is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Cai
Statistically, parents drawn to Cai tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Mordecai, Sai, Akai, Zaccai, and Adonai.
MordecaiSaiAkaiZaccaiAdonaiNakaiRaiCamari
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cai | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 69 | #2108 |
| 2024 | 83 | #1902 |
| 2023 | 86 | #1851 |
| 2022 | 108 | #1611 |
| 2021 | 87 | #1799 |
| 2020 | 66 | #2113 |
| 2019 | 66 | #2150 |
| 2018 | 65 | #2147 |
| 2017 | 68 | #2049 |
| 2016 | 82 | #1828 |
| 2015 | 82 | #1815 |
| 2014 | 71 | #2000 |
| 2013 | 55 | #2299 |
| 2012 | 54 | #2358 |
| 2011 | 39 | #2950 |
| 2010 | 38 | #3014 |
| 2009 | 41 | #2894 |
| 2008 | 39 | #3005 |
| 2007 | 29 | #3591 |
| 2006 | 23 | #4105 |
| 2005 | 29 | #3389 |
| 2004 | 27 | #3456 |
| 2003 | 25 | #3528 |
| 2002 | 20 | #4044 |
| 2001 | 17 | #4476 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cai a popular boy name?
Cai ranked #2118 among boys in 2025 with 69 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1815.
When was the name Cai most popular?
Cai peaked in 2022, when 108 American boys received the name (ranked #1611 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Cai?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 26,087 newborn American boys was named Cai. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.