Boy · #513 in 2026

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.

Current Rank
#513
Peak Rank
#490 (2023)
Total Babies
10K
5-Yr Trend
+19%
1997
First Year
2026
Last Year
2005
Peak Year
#5600
Peak Rank
331
Total Count
28
Years Active

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 →

The Story of Makai

Makai first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1989, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 611 Makais were born — ranking #490 that year. As of 2026, Makai ranks #513 for baby boys with 592 births, rising sharply (+19% over the past five years). In total, more than 10K Makais have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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

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

What does the name Makai mean?
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.
How popular is Makai in 2026?
In 2026, Makai ranks #513 among boys' names in the U.S., with 592 babies given the name that year.
When was Makai most popular?
Makai reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #490 that year with 611 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Makai most popular?
Makai has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Delaware, Maryland. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Makai.
Is Makai a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Makai is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Makai?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Makai include Granville, Junius, Amarion. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.