ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1920 First Year 2026 Last Year 2015 Peak Year #3365 Peak Rank 686 Total Count 49 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1978 First Year 2023 Last Year 1994 Peak Year #7097 Peak Rank 186 Total Count 28 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Kei What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Kei is a Japanese male's personal name; used increasingly as a female's personal name, as a shortening of Keiko. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Japanese [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Kei](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Kei_Chika-ura_%28%E8%BF%91%E6%B5%A6%E5%95%93%29.jpg/330px-Kei_Chika-ura_%28%E8%BF%91%E6%B5%A6%E5%95%93%29.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Kei ### As a girl name Kei first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1978, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1994: 12 births, good for #7,097 nationwide. About 27% of every Kei on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Kei last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 186 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Kei on the record books as a boy name in 1920, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 33 Keis were born — ranking #3,365 that year. About 31% of every Kei on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kei ranks #4,261 for boys with 25 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 686 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data ⭐ ## Notable people named Kei A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Kei ( ケイ ; born 1957) , Japanese singer * ●Kei Akagi ( 赤城 恵 ; born 1953) , Japanese-American jazz pianist * ●Kei Aoyama ( 青山 景 ; 1979–2011) , Japanese manga artist * ●Kei Aran ( 安蘭 けい ; born 1970) , Japanese actress * ●Kei Chinen ( 知念 慶 ; born 1995) , Japanese footballer * ●Kei Cozzolino (born 1987), Japanese-born Italian racing driver * ●Kei Enue ( えぬえ けい ) , Japanese manga artist * ●Kei Fujiwara ( 不二稿 京 ; born 1957) , Japanese actress, cinematographer, editor, writer and film director Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Kei Phonetically similar names — useful when Kei is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Kay](/kay) * [Cay](/cay) * Cae * [Kaye](/kaye) * Quet * [Kae](/kae) * Quai * Khe * [Caye](/caye) * Cais * Kej * Co Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Kei What does the name Kei mean? Kei is a Japanese male's personal name; used increasingly as a female's personal name, as a shortening of Keiko. What is the origin of the name Kei? Kei has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Japanese. How popular is Kei in 2026? In 2026, Kei ranks #4,261 among boys' names in the U.S., with 25 babies given the name that year. When was Kei most popular? Kei reached its peak popularity in 2015, ranking #3,365 that year with 33 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Kei most popular? Kei has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kei. Is Kei a unisex name? Yes — Kei is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 21% of Keis assigned female and 79% assigned male historically. What names go well with Kei? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kei include Tregg, Doanld, Srinivas. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦TreggPeak #3365](/tregg)[👦DoanldPeak #3365](/doanld)[👦SrinivasPeak #3365](/srinivas)[👦TorbenPeak #3365](/torben) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧JaquelPeak #7097](/jaquel)[👧JamisePeak #7097](/jamise)[👧DeshondraPeak #7097](/deshondra)[👧ShakedraPeak #7097](/shakedra) ## About the name Kei Kei is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1920 and has accumulated 686 births in the dataset. Kei's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #3,365\. Use the chart and map above to compare Kei's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2015 → ](/year/2015) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "K" → ](/letter/k) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.