Kei
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Japanese
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,065 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #6,140 for boys
Kei is a boys' name of Japanese origin. In 2025 it ranked 5,065th for boys in the UK (3 babies) and 6,140th for boys in the US (14 babies).
What does Kei mean?
Japanese
A unisex given name from Japanese.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Kei a girl's or a boy's name?
Kei is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 boys in the UK and 14 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kei in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,065th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 3 about 1 in 100,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 150% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 3 boys in the UK were named Kei, making it the 5,065th most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 2006, with 8 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kei in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2017. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales.
Kei in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,065 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,198 |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 4 | #4,126 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,161 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,026 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 8 | #2,193 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 3 | #3,255 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 4 | #2,531 |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
How popular is Kei in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,140th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14 about 1 in 120,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the US were named Kei, making it the 6,140th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,037th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 33 boys. It first appears in the records in 1920.
2025 had fewer boys named Kei than any year since 2011.
Half of all the boys named Kei in the US since 1880 were born between 1997 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2023, 21% of the babies named Kei in the US were girls.
Kei in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #6,140 |
| 2024 | 22 | #4,567 |
| 2023 | 26 | #4,109 |
| 2022 | 17 | #5,441 |
| 2021 | 15 | #5,771 |
| 2020 | 18 | #5,037 |
| 2019 | 22 | #4,476 |
| 2018 | 25 | #4,090 |
| 2017 | 25 | #4,101 |
| 2016 | 30 | #3,595 |
| 2015 | 33 | #3,364 |
| 2014 | 25 | #4,011 |
| 2013 | 19 | #4,801 |
| 2012 | 16 | #5,476 |
| 2011 | 11 | #7,002 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 14 | #6,091 |
| 2008 | 17 | #5,244 |
| 2007 | 13 | #6,259 |
| 2006 | 12 | #6,455 |
| 2005 | 12 | #6,220 |
| 2004 | 18 | #4,597 |
| 2003 | 13 | #5,551 |
| 2002 | 11 | #6,081 |
| 2001 | 14 | #5,135 |
| 2000 | 15 | #4,779 |
| 1999 | 8 | #7,132 |
| 1998 | 11 | #5,460 |
| 1997 | 13 | #4,663 |
| 1996 | 5 | #9,008 |
| 1995 | 10 | #5,495 |
| 1994 | 10 | #5,446 |
| 1993 | 5 | #8,693 |
| 1992 | 11 | #4,864 |
| 1991 | 15 | #3,806 |
| 1990 | 11 | #4,667 |
| 1989 | 9 | #5,158 |
| 1988 | 5 | #7,264 |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,083 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 7 | #5,142 |
| 1984 | 9 | #4,212 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 10 | #3,964 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 8 | #4,493 |
| 1979 | 9 | #4,066 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 6 | #5,121 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 7 | #3,406 |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 6 | #3,814 |
Names like Kei
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Kai, Kian, Kayden, Ronan, Brody, Aiden, Kairo, Rowan, Kody, Ruairi, Declan
More Japanese names
Kobe, Kaizen, Raiden, Ren, Akari, Kenzo, Ronin, Kyomi, Akira, Yuna, Emi, Kiyomi, Kairi, Miya, Kenji, Reo
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kei: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kei, updated 20 October 2026.