Shai
Girl name · #2340 in 2025 · Very rare
Shai is currently the #2340 girl name in the United States — 78 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4488, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 23,077 girls born in 2025 was named Shai.
Babies named Shai per year. Source: SSA.
The 57-year story
Shai first appears in the Social Security records in 1968, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2023, with 116 babies and a rank of #1762. 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 Shai against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Shai in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Shai is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Shai will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Shai is most common
State-level data for Shai 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 Shai
Statistically, parents drawn to Shai tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Khai, Sinai, Skai, Zari, and Tali.
KhaiSinaiSkaiZariTaliSoraSoleiDevi
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Shai | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 78 | #2326 |
| 2024 | 101 | #1955 |
| 2023 | 116 | #1762 |
| 2022 | 107 | #1885 |
| 2021 | 96 | #2007 |
| 2020 | 71 | #2441 |
| 2019 | 59 | #2814 |
| 2018 | 48 | #3293 |
| 2017 | 36 | #4066 |
| 2016 | 30 | #4632 |
| 2015 | 31 | #4488 |
| 2014 | 26 | #5163 |
| 2013 | 20 | #6255 |
| 2012 | 33 | #4387 |
| 2011 | 34 | #4244 |
| 2010 | 25 | #5414 |
| 2009 | 34 | #4370 |
| 2008 | 40 | #3936 |
| 2007 | 41 | #3848 |
| 2006 | 41 | #3734 |
| 2005 | 26 | #4958 |
| 2004 | 25 | #5062 |
| 2003 | 25 | #4943 |
| 2002 | 34 | #3810 |
| 2001 | 38 | #3486 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Shai a popular girl name?
Shai ranked #2340 among girls in 2025 with 78 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4488.
When was the name Shai most popular?
Shai peaked in 2023, when 116 American girls received the name (ranked #1762 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Shai?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 23,077 newborn American girls was named Shai. 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.