boy's name
Kaïs
ka-EES
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 22,486
France
#55
2025 births
Kaïs is a boy's name of Arabic origin, borne by the poet of the Layla and Majnun story, one of the most famous love legends of the Islamic world. It ranks fifty-fifth in France and is rising, with our records carrying it from 1969.
- Kaïs is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in France in 2015, when 1,320 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 575 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1969.
Kaïs over time
Births per decade in France, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 205 |
| 1980s | 205 |
| 1990s | 245 |
| 2000s | 3,015 |
| 2010s | 11,350 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,790 |
What Kaïs means
Kaïs is usually glossed as firm, or one who measures, from an Arabic root meaning to measure or compare. The gloss is less settled than most, and its standing rests on the figure who bore it rather than on the word.
Where Kaïs comes from
Kaïs renders the Arabic Qays, an old and well-attested name from a root associated with measuring. Its weight comes from Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, the seventh-century Bedouin poet who fell in love with Layla and, forbidden to marry her, went mad with longing and became known as Majnun, the possessed one. The story was retold by the Persian poet Nizami in the twelfth century and became one of the great love narratives of the Islamic world, comparable in reach to Romeo and Juliet, which it predates by centuries. The diaeresis in the French spelling marks the i as separately sounded, giving two syllables.
Kaïs in use
Kaïs ranks fifty-fifth in France with about 1,055 births in 2025, and its peak in our records is 2020. The unaccented Kais is what Britain and America record, at 1,330 in England and Wales and 3,535 in the United States. Our data carries it from 1969, which places it among the earlier North African names to establish in French records.
How popular is Kaïs?
In 2025, Kaïs was given to 1,025 babies in France, ranking #55 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Kaïs is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Kaïs is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Kais | Kais is a spelling of Kaïs, used in the United States, where it ranks #3,535. | 6,566 |
Names that peaked alongside Kaïs
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kaïs also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kaïs over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kaïs in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kaïs
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kaïs — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kaïs
What does the name Kaïs mean?
Usually "firm" or "one who measures," though the gloss is less settled than most Arabic names.
Who was Qays?
The seventh-century poet of the Layla and Majnun story, who went mad with longing when forbidden to marry Layla.
How do you pronounce Kaïs?
ka-EES, two syllables. The diaeresis marks the i as separately sounded.
How popular is Kaïs?
Fifty-fifth in France, and rising.
Is Kaïs a girl's or a boy's name?
Kaïs is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
Is Kaïs a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kaïs currently ranks #55 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.