boy's name
Makai
muh-KY (English)
- Origin Hawaiian, Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 10,324
the United States
#481
2025 births
Makai is a boy's name with more than one reading. In Hawaiian it means "toward the sea," and it's a word for direction. It's also treated as a modern form of Micah or Malachi, and The Bump links it with Hawaiian Makaio, a form of Matthew.
- Makai is a name of Hawaiian, Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 626 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,296 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1989.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Makai Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 159 |
| 2000s | 1,922 |
| 2010s | 4,052 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,471 |
What Makai Means
Makai means seaward in Hawaiian, a word used in giving directions on the islands. When it's read as a form of Micah, it instead carries the question who resembles God.
Where Makai Comes From
Hawaiian makai combines ma, toward, with kai, sea, and it pairs with mauka, toward the mountain, in everyday directions. As a given name it came into wider American use recently. Nameberry suggests it may also be a contracted form of Malachi or Micah, and Mama Natural gives Micah's meaning. The Bump connects it with Makaio, the Hawaiian form of Matthew, gift of God. Those readings have separate roots, but in sound they overlap with Malachi and with popular K endings such as Kai. Spellings such as Mekhi are related in style.
Makai in Use
Basketball player Makai Mason is a well-known bearer. The Hawaiian word appears on island maps and in everyday directions, so the name has a strong sense of place.
How Popular Is Makai?
In 2025, Makai was given to 626 babies in the United States, ranking #481 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Makai Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Makai
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Makai Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Makai over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Makai
- English muh-KY
Makai 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 Makai
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Makai — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Makai
What does the name Makai mean?
Toward the sea in Hawaiian.
Is Makai a Hawaiian name?
Its best-known source is Hawaiian, though Hebrew links are also proposed.
How do you pronounce Makai?
muh-KY.
How popular is the name Makai?
In 2025, Makai was given to 626 babies in the United States, ranking #481 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Makai a girl's or a boy's name?
Makai is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Makai?
Makai has 2 syllables.
When was Makai most popular?
Makai peaked in 2025, when 626 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Makai a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Makai currently ranks #481 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.