Nakai
Boy name · #2269 in 2025 · Very rare
Nakai ranks #2269 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 62 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #3022, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 29,032 boys born in 2025 was named Nakai.
Babies named Nakai per year. Source: SSA.
The 51-year story
Nakai first appears in the Social Security records in 1974, when 8 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 62 babies and a rank of #2258. 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.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Nakai against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Nakai in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Nakai is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Nakai will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Nakai is most common
State-level data for Nakai 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 Nakai
Statistically, parents drawn to Nakai tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Takai, Lakai, Mahkai, Akai, and Malikai.
TakaiLakaiMahkaiAkaiMalikaiDakaiSekaiAlakai
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Nakai | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 62 | #2258 |
| 2024 | 40 | #3045 |
| 2023 | 49 | #2660 |
| 2022 | 41 | #3003 |
| 2021 | 54 | #2464 |
| 2020 | 34 | #3274 |
| 2019 | 32 | #3496 |
| 2018 | 27 | #3891 |
| 2017 | 40 | #2951 |
| 2016 | 33 | #3358 |
| 2015 | 38 | #3022 |
| 2014 | 36 | #3090 |
| 2013 | 27 | #3753 |
| 2012 | 24 | #4131 |
| 2011 | 24 | #4110 |
| 2010 | 24 | #4099 |
| 2009 | 32 | #3399 |
| 2008 | 39 | #3005 |
| 2007 | 44 | #2721 |
| 2006 | 35 | #3083 |
| 2005 | 32 | #3172 |
| 2004 | 34 | #2953 |
| 2003 | 28 | #3280 |
| 2002 | 10 | #6522 |
| 2001 | 23 | #3617 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Nakai a popular boy name?
Nakai ranked #2269 among boys in 2025 with 62 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3022.
When was the name Nakai most popular?
Nakai peaked in 2025, when 62 American boys received the name (ranked #2258 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Nakai?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 29,032 newborn American boys was named Nakai. 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.