Lai
The Story of Lai
As a girl name
Lai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1953, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1984, when 17 Lais were born — ranking #4,318 that year. As of 2026, Lai ranks #14,477 for girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 231 Lais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Lai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1981, with 10 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 10 Lais were born — ranking #3,857 that year. As of 2026, Lai ranks #5,942 for boys with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 25 Lais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Lai
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lai is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lai
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About the name Lai
Lai is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1953 and has accumulated 231 births in the dataset. Lai's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #4,318. Use the chart and map above to compare Lai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1984 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.