Wai
Wai is a name with a single cultural origin: Burmese.
- Burmese
Meaning & Origin of Wai
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Wai is a name with a single cultural origin: Burmese.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Burmese
The Story of Wai
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Wai as a girl name dates back to 1971, when 5 babies received it. 1982 was its biggest year on record, with 13 newborns named Wai — #5,210 in the national rankings. About 42% of every Wai on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Wai last appeared in the published SSA data in 1999, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 88 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Wai on the record books as a boy name in 1970, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 15 Wais were born — ranking #2,791 that year. About 55% of every Wai on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Wai last appeared in the published SSA data in 1995, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 174 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Wai
Phonetically similar names — useful when Wai 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 Wai
What does the name Wai mean?
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How popular is Wai in 2026?
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Is Wai a unisex name?
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About the name Wai
Wai is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1970 and has accumulated 174 births in the dataset. Wai's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #2,791. Use the chart and map above to compare Wai's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1977 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- Browse all boy 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.