Kai (name)
| Kai | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Ky |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | various |
| Meaning | various |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Cai, Kaj |
 |
Look up Kai in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
The name Kai /ˈkaɪ/ has various origins and meanings in different cultures:
- In Ancient Greek, Kai (και) is a conjunction meaning "and"
- In Basque, Kai is a common word meaning "pier of a harbour" and a variant of the first name Kaio (from the old Latin name Caius)
- In Burmese, Kai means "strong" or "unbreakable"
- In Chinese, Kai is a common given name with one of several meanings, most often "victory" (凯), another being "open" (开)
- In Cornish, Kai means "dog", and is often used as a dog name
- In Estonian, Kai is a female name meaning "pier"
- In Finnish, Kai is a common male name, Finnish form of Kaj. The term "kai" also means "probably" in Finnish
- In Hawaiian, Kai means "ocean" or "ocean water"
- In Hmong, Kai is a male name that is sometimes spelled Kha
- In Japanese, Kai has a number of meanings, including "ocean" (海), "shell" (貝), "restoration" and "recovery." [1][2]
- In Māori, Kai means "food"
- In Navajo, Kai means willow tree.
- In North Germanic languages, Kai means "keeper of the keys; earth". In Germanic languages, Kai means "quay" or "safe harbor"
- In Scottish, Kai means "fire"
- In Swahilli, Kai means "loveable", and is given to a baby girl.
- In Tagalog, Kai is an abbreviated version of the word "kaibigan", which means "friend"
- In Urdu, Kai is short for "Kainat", meaning "universe". It is usually a nickname, though it can be a real name too. Other nicknames for the same name may include Kaiskii, Kaina and Kaiya
- In Welsh, Kai is a popular given name normally spelt Cai, from the Arthurian legend of Sir Kay
- In Wolof (Senegalese language) kai means "come"
In Northern Ireland, data indicated that Kai experienced a significant rise in popularity as a male given name from 2002 to 2003. It has become popular in the UK, with many children born in the mid to late 1990s given the name. While it is typically a male given name, in recent years it has become popular among females as well.[3]
Given name
- Kai Altair (born 1984), American musician
- Kai Althoff (born 1966), German multimedia artist
- Kai Bird (born 1951), American journalist
- Kai Budde (born 1979), German gamer
- Kai Diekmann (born 1964), German journalist
- Kai Donner (1888–1935), Finnish linguist
- Kai Eckhardt (born 1961), German musician
- Kai Eide (born 1949), Norwegian diplomat
- Kai Erikson (born 1931), American sociologist
- Kai Fagaschinski (born 1974), German musician
- Kai Fjell (1907–1989), Norwegian painter
- Kai Gehring (born 1977), German politician
- Kai Greene (born 1975), American bodybuilder
- Kai Hahto (born 1973), Finnish drummer
- Kai Hansen (born 1963), German musician
- Kai Holm (1896–1985), Danish actor
- Kai Holst (1913–1945), Norwegian resistance fighter
- Kai Johansen (1940–2007), Danish football player
- Kai Kazmirek (born 1991), German decathlete
- Kai Krause (born 1957), German software designer
- Kai Laukkanen (born 1975), Finnish motorcycle speedway rider
- Kai Londo (1845–1896), Sierra Leonese warrior king
- Kai Mosaker (Trym Torson; born 1974), Norwegian drummer
- Kai Nielsen
- Kai Nielsen (1882–1924), Danish sculptor
- Kai Nielsen (born 1926), Canadian philosopher
- Sixten Kai Nielsen (born 1978), Danish artist
- Kai Niemi (born 1955), Finnish motorcycle speedway rider
- Kai Owen (born 1975), Welsh actor
- Kai Pahlman (born 1935), Finnish football player
- Kai Reus (born 1985), Dutch cyclist
- Kai Risholt (born 1979), Norwegian football player
- Kai Rüütel (born 1981), Estonian opera singer
- Kai Ryssdal (born 1963), American radio journalist
- Kai Siegbahn (1918–2007), Swedish physicist
- Kai Stephens, British musician
- Kai Tracid (born 1972), German DJ and producer
- Kai Wiesinger (born 1966), German actor
- Kai Winding (1922–1983), Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer
- Kai (born 1981), Japanese drummer of visual kei band The GazettE (ガゼット/Gazetto)
- Kai Zou (born 1988), a Chinese Olympic gymnast
- Kai (Kim Jongin) (born 1994), a member of a South Korean boy band EXO
Kaj (the Germanic form of Kai)
- Kaj Birksted, Danish fighter pilot
- Kaj Busch, Australian television presenter
- Kaj Christiansen (1921–2008), Danish football player
- Kaj Chydenius (born 1939), Finnish composer
- Kaj Franck (1911–1989), Finnish designer
- Kaj Frederiksen (1916–1991), Danish boxer
- Kaj Gnudtzmann (1880–1948), Danish gymnist
- Kaj Aksel Hansen (1917–1987), Danish football player
- Kaj Hansen (footballer born 1940) (1940–2009), Danish football player
- Kaj Hasselriis (born 1974), Canadian journalist
- Kaj Leo Johannesen (born 1964), Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- Kaj Munk (1898–1944), Danish playwright
- Kaj Stenvall (born 1951), Finnish artist
- Kaj Strand (1907-2000), Danish astronomer
- Kaj Uldaler (1906–1987), Danish football player
- Kaj Ulrik Linderstrøm-Lang (1896–1959), Danish scientist
- Niels Kaj Jerne (1911–1994), Danish immunologist
Surname
- Carole Kai (born 1944), American entertainer
- Leilani Kai (born 1960), American professional wrestler
- Natasha Kai (born 1983), American soccer player
Characters
- Bajoran Kai, fictional supreme religious figure of Bajor in Star Trek
- Kai, fictional character in The Snow Queen, a tale by Hans Christian Andersen
- Kai (Akira), a character in the manga and 1988 anime film Akira
- Kai, fictional character in the video games Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and Harvest Moon 64
- Kai, fictional character in the video game Heavenly Sword
- Kai (LEXX), fictional character in the television series Lexx
- Kai, fictional god in the Lone Wolf (gamebooks) series, and hence name of the order of warrior-monks known as the Kai Lords
- Kai (Mortal Kombat), fictional character in the Mortal Kombat games
- Kai Booker, fictional character from the television series Being Erica
- Kai Chen, fictional character in the television series Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy
- Kai Hiwatari, fictional character in the anime and manga series Beyblade
- Kai the Horseclaw, fictional bird in the manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Kai Kogashiwa, fictional character in the anime and manga series Initial D
- Kai Lung, fictional character in a series of novels by Ernest Bramah
- Toshiki Kai, fictional character in the anime and manga series Cardfight!! Vanguard
- Kai Sagano, fictional character in the anime and manga series Kizuna: Bonds of Love
- Kai, fictional character in the TV show Lego Ninjago: The Series
- Kai, fictional character in the video game Ōkami
- Kai Leng, fictional character in the video game series Mass Effect
- Kai Ichinose, fictional character in the anime film and manga series Piano no Mori
- Kai Miyagusuku, fictional character in the anime Blood+ (List of Blood+ characters)
- Kai Ozu, fictional character of the Ozu Family in the television series Mahou Sentai Magiranger
- Kai Shiden, fictional character in the anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam
- King Kai, gods in the manga and anime Dragon Ball Z
- Lee Wan Kai, fictional villain in two cross over episodes of American television series' NCIS: Los Angeles (season 1) and NCIS season 7.
- Ukiko Kai, fictional character in the comic book series Kabuki
- Kai Allad-Liao, fictional character in the Battletech universe (List_of_BattleTech_characters)
- Kai Proctor, fictional character in the television series Banshee (TV series)
References
- ↑ "English<>Japanese". Dictionary. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
- ↑ "Official list of Kanji permissible for name use".
- ↑ "Jack and Emma were the most popular first names in Northern Ireland in 2003" (PDF) (Press release). Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 2004-01-02. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
Kai has risen from rank 156 in 2002 to rank 94 in 2003....
See also
- Kai (disambiguation)
- Kay (disambiguation)