unisex name
Shai
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 5,702
Scotland
#740
2013 births
Shai is a unisex name with 1 syllable. It is given to both girls and boys — about 38% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 293 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 2023, when 340 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1968.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Shai over time
Births per decade in the United States, 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 | 11 |
| 1970s | 98 |
| 1980s | 166 |
| 1990s | 704 |
| 2000s | 703 |
| 2010s | 912 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,746 |
How popular is Shai?
In 2025, Shai was given to 293 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Shai 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.
How Shai is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Shaï | Shaï is Shai written with a diaeresis, used in France, where it ranks #1,942. | 185 |
Names that peaked alongside Shai
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Shai also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shai over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Shai
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Shai — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Shai
How popular is the name Shai?
In 2025, Shai was given to 293 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Shai a girl's or a boy's name?
Shai is used for both girls and boys. About 38% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Shai?
Shai has 1 syllable.
When was Shai most popular?
Shai peaked in 2023, when 340 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Shai a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shai currently ranks #1,031 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.