Makai
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ma-KY
- Origin
- Hawaiian
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,613 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #481 for boys
Makai is a boys' name of Hawaiian origin, meaning “toward the sea”. In 2025 it ranked 1,613th for boys in the UK (17 babies) and 481st for boys in the US (626 babies).
What does Makai mean?
Hawaiian
“toward the sea”
In Hawaii makai is used in giving directions to mean 'seaward', the opposite of mauka, 'toward the mountains'.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Makai a girl's or a boy's name?
Makai is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 17 boys in the UK and 626 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Makai in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,613th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 17 about 1 in 18,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 38% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 17 boys in the UK were named Makai, making it the 1,613th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,185th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 27 boys.
Half of all the boys named Makai in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,537th in England and Wales.
Makai in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #1,613 |
| 2024 | 17 | #1,585 |
| 2023 | 20 | #1,399 |
| 2022 | 19 | #1,452 |
| 2021 | 21 | #1,341 |
| 2020 | 10 | #2,185 |
| 2019 | 17 | #1,543 |
| 2018 | 12 | #1,981 |
| 2017 | 11 | #2,174 |
| 2016 | 22 | #1,309 |
| 2015 | 13 | #1,888 |
| 2014 | 21 | #1,308 |
| 2013 | 16 | #1,560 |
| 2012 | 16 | #1,622 |
| 2011 | 20 | #1,338 |
| 2010 | 27 | #1,085 |
| 2009 | 20 | #1,290 |
| 2008 | 15 | #1,547 |
| 2007 | 15 | #1,540 |
| 2006 | 15 | #1,423 |
| 2005 | 9 | #1,957 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 6 | #2,106 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 5 | #2,237 |
How popular is Makai in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 481st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 626 about 1 in 2,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 626 boys in the US were named Makai, making it the 481st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 549th. It first appears in the records in 1989.
2025 had the most boys named Makai of any year since it first appeared, in 1989.
Half of all the boys named Makai in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 762 boys in the US were given Makai or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #424, up from #481 for this spelling alone.
Makai in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 626 | #481 |
| 2024 | 559 | #532 |
| 2023 | 611 | #491 |
| 2022 | 572 | #518 |
| 2021 | 534 | #547 |
| 2020 | 518 | #549 |
| 2019 | 499 | #559 |
| 2018 | 484 | #570 |
| 2017 | 411 | #631 |
| 2016 | 422 | #634 |
| 2015 | 371 | #681 |
| 2014 | 341 | #708 |
| 2013 | 348 | #688 |
| 2012 | 348 | #680 |
| 2011 | 356 | #665 |
| 2010 | 341 | #689 |
| 2009 | 361 | #674 |
| 2008 | 234 | #893 |
| 2007 | 233 | #878 |
| 2006 | 232 | #862 |
| 2005 | 230 | #820 |
| 2004 | 143 | #1,100 |
| 2003 | 128 | #1,166 |
| 2002 | 122 | #1,158 |
| 2001 | 72 | #1,625 |
| 2000 | 52 | #1,964 |
| 1999 | 49 | #1,963 |
| 1998 | 37 | #2,346 |
| 1997 | 21 | #3,346 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 14 | #4,274 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 5 | #7,898 |
Names like Makai
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kai, Koa, Yusuf, Bodhi, Musa, Kairo, Loki, Ozzy, Muhammad, Luca, Marley, Yahya
Other spellings of Makai
Names related to Makai
More Hawaiian names
Leilani, Kailani, Kalani, Nalani, Keanu, Koah, Meilani, Kailany, Leilany, Laylani, Kaleo, Lani, Luana, Leylani, Lailani, Nakoa
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, “Makai: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/makai, updated 20 October 2026.