Makai
Makai is a Japanese house DJ. He is well known for his collaborations with Japanese vocalists, such as "Garden of Love" with Thelma Aoyama, which topped the iTunes Japan internal charts.
- African American
Meaning & Origin of Makai
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Makai is a Japanese house DJ. He is well known for his collaborations with Japanese vocalists, such as "Garden of Love" with Thelma Aoyama, which topped the iTunes Japan internal charts.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- African American
The Story of Makai
The earliest SSA record of Makai as a baby boy name dates back to 1989, when 5 babies received it. 2023 was its biggest year on record, with 611 newborns named Makai — #490 in the national rankings. About 40% of every Makai on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Makai ranks #513 for baby boys with 592 births, rising sharply (+19% over the past five years). All told, over 10K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Makai
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Makai. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Makai
Phonetically similar names — useful when Makai 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 Makai
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How popular is Makai in 2026?
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About the name Makai
Makai is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1989 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Makai's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #490. Use the chart and map above to compare Makai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2023 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.