Makai
Meaning
“Hawaiian word meaning 'toward the sea'”
The story
Makai is a word and a name sharing one spelling. In Hawaiian, makai is a direction: toward the sea, the everyday opposite of mauka, toward the mountains. The reference books file the American name as a modern variant of Mekhi, a name of uncertain root at about 12,400 boys in our records, and the listed pronunciation follows Mekhi's sound. One spelling, a word and a name: about 145 boys in the 1990s, 1,800 in the 2000s, 3,900 in the 2010s, and 3,420 so far this decade among boys, about 9,300 boys in our records to 310 girls, traveling beside Kai, the sea itself, at about 78,700 with its own story. A word and a name sharing a spelling, and the word points straight at the water.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Makai peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
When you meet Makai
Most people given the name Makai in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Makai deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Makai truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Makai fits with your family’s names and surname.
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