# Kai
## English
### Etymology

Taken into regular use in the 1990s, with earlier popularity peaks in Scandinavia and Germany. The medieval Danish Kaj is possibly of Roman origin, Latinized as Caius, like the rare medieval English male given name Kay. The German Kai may also derive from a West Frisian pet form of Gerard, Cornelius, Nicholas, or Kampe "warrior". In the U.S. Kai has also been explained as Hawaiian kai (“sea”).

### Pronunciation

* (Canada) IPA: /kaɪ/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* Rhymes: -aɪ

### Proper noun

Kai
* A male given name from the Germanic languages, of modern usage.
* (rare) A female given name of modern usage.

### Anagrams

* AKI, KIA, Kia, aik

## Danish
### Proper noun

Kai
* a male given name, a less common spelling of Kaj

### References

* Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 8 117 males with the given name Kai (compared to 31 574 named Kaj) have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1920s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

## Estonian
### Proper noun

Kai
* a female given name, short for Kaia, Katariina ("Catherine")

## Faroese
### Etymology

From Danish Kaj, from Latin Cāius, from Etruscan 𐌂𐌀𐌉𐌄 (caie), from an era when the letter C represented the phonetic value /ɡ/.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʰaiː/
* Rhymes: -aiː
* Homophones: kai, kei

### Proper noun

Kai m
* a male given name, compare Kaj (more common, but Danish spelling)

#### Usage notes

Patronymics
* son of Kai: Kaisson
* daughter Kai: Kaisdóttir

#### Declension
## Finnish
### Etymology

From Danish Kaj.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɑi̯/, [ˈkɑ̝i̯]
* Rhymes: -ɑi
* Hyphenation: Kai

### Proper noun

Kai
* a male given name

#### Declension

Possessive forms of Kai (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Kaini
Kaini
accusative
nom.
Kaini
Kaini
gen.
Kaini
genitive
Kaini
Kaideni Kaitteni
partitive
Kaitani
Kaitani
inessive
Kaissani
Kaissani
elative
Kaistani
Kaistani
illative
Kaihini
Kaihini
adessive
Kaillani
Kaillani
ablative
Kailtani
Kailtani
allative
Kailleni
Kailleni
essive
Kainani
Kainani
translative
Kaikseni
Kaikseni
abessive
Kaittani
Kaittani
instructive
comitative
—Kaineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Kaisi
Kaisi
accusative
nom.
Kaisi
Kaisi
gen.
Kaisi
genitive
Kaisi
Kaidesi Kaittesi
partitive
Kaitasi
Kaitasi
inessive
Kaissasi
Kaissasi
elative
Kaistasi
Kaistasi
illative
Kaihisi
Kaihisi
adessive
Kaillasi
Kaillasi
ablative
Kailtasi
Kailtasi
allative
Kaillesi
Kaillesi
essive
Kainasi
Kainasi
translative
Kaiksesi
Kaiksesi
abessive
Kaittasi
Kaittasi
instructive
comitative
—Kainesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Kaimme
Kaimme
accusative
nom.
Kaimme
Kaimme
gen.
Kaimme
genitive
Kaimme
Kaidemme Kaittemme
partitive
Kaitamme
Kaitamme
inessive
Kaissamme
Kaissamme
elative
Kaistamme
Kaistamme
illative
Kaihimme
Kaihimme
adessive
Kaillamme
Kaillamme
ablative
Kailtamme
Kailtamme
allative
Kaillemme
Kaillemme
essive
Kainamme
Kainamme
translative
Kaiksemme
Kaiksemme
abessive
Kaittamme
Kaittamme
instructive
comitative
—Kainemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Kainne
Kainne
accusative
nom.
Kainne
Kainne
gen.
Kainne
genitive
Kainne
Kaidenne Kaittenne
partitive
Kaitanne
Kaitanne
inessive
Kaissanne
Kaissanne
elative
Kaistanne
Kaistanne
illative
Kaihinne
Kaihinne
adessive
Kaillanne
Kaillanne
ablative
Kailtanne
Kailtanne
allative
Kaillenne
Kaillenne
essive
Kainanne
Kainanne
translative
Kaiksenne
Kaiksenne
abessive
Kaittanne
Kaittanne
instructive
comitative
—Kainenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Kainsa
Kainsa
accusative
nom.
Kainsa
Kainsa
gen.
Kainsa
genitive
Kainsa
Kaidensa Kaittensa
partitive
Kaitaan Kaitansa
Kaitaan Kaitansa
inessive
Kaissaan Kaissansa
Kaissaan Kaissansa
elative
Kaistaan Kaistansa
Kaistaan Kaistansa
illative
Kaihinsa
Kaihinsa
adessive
Kaillaan Kaillansa
Kaillaan Kaillansa
ablative
Kailtaan Kailtansa
Kailtaan Kailtansa
allative
Kailleen Kaillensa
Kailleen Kaillensa
essive
Kainaan Kainansa
Kainaan Kainansa
translative
Kaikseen Kaiksensa
Kaikseen Kaiksensa
abessive
Kaittaan Kaittansa
Kaittaan Kaittansa
instructive
comitative
—Kaineen Kainensa :

#### Statistics

* Kai is the 91st most common male given name in Finland, belonging to 7,771 male individuals (and as a middle name to 1,269 more), and also belongs to 34 female individuals (and as a middle name to 12 more), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

### Anagrams

* Aki, aik.

## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaɪ̯/ (Germany and Switzerland)
* Rhymes: -aɪ̯
* IPA: /keː/ (Austria)
* Rhymes: -eː

### Etymology 1

17th century, from Dutch kaai, from Middle Dutch kaey (whence also through hypercorrection Dutch kade). The word is ultimately Celtic, but it is unsettled whether the Dutch form is borrowed via Old French kay, as traditionally held, or indeed vice versa.

#### Noun

Kai m (strong, genitive Kais, plural Kais or (uncommon) Kaie)
* wharf, quay

##### Declension

$^1$Uncommon.

##### Descendants

* → Polish: keja

### Etymology 2

Taken into regular use in the 20th century; either borrowed from Danish Kaj, or from a West Frisian baby talk form of Kaimbe, Kempe (“fighter, warrior”), Gerrit (“Gerard”), Cornelis (“Cornelius”) and Kleis (“Nicholas”).

#### Proper noun

Kai m or f (proper noun, strong, genitive Kais, plural Kais)
* (chiefly Northern Germany) a male given name
* (rare) a diminutive of the female given name Katharina

##### Alternative forms

* Kaj, Kay

## Hawaiian
### Etymology

From kai (“sea, sea water”); also a short form of compound given names containing this word.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkai̯/, [ˈkɐj], [ˈkɛj] (rapid speech)

### Proper noun

Kai
* a male or (less commonly) female given name from Hawaiian

### References

* Hawaii State Archives: Marriage records Kai occurs in 19th century marriage records as the only name (mononym) of 10 women and 13 men.
* Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names by State: Kai was included in the top hundred first names for boys born in the State of Hawaii in 1995-2008.

## Kanakanabu
### Proper noun

Kai
* a female given name

## North Frisian
### Alternative forms

* kai (Föhr-Amrum)
* koie (Mooring)

### Etymology

From Old Frisian kēi. Cognates include West Frisian kaai.

### Noun

Kai m (plural Kaier)
* (Sylt) key

## Norwegian
### Proper noun

Kai
* a male given name derived from Danish Kaj

## Turkish
### Proper noun

Kai
* a male given name derived from Kayı

### See also

* Kailar
* Kayılar