Kanai
26% girls · 74% boys
About Kanai
Kanai is one of those truly multicultural choices, used in several different cultures and possessing a different meaning in each.
As a Hawaiian name, Kanai can also be written as Kanaʻi, and it comes with a cool initial, a gentler sound, and the strong meaning of "conqueror". As a Japanese name, the sound remains similar but, depending on what kanji symbols are used, it's meanings range from "gold mine" to "humble", to "of the house".
Another possibility is that Kanai comes from a Hebrew word meaning "zealous, fanatical (about God)", and would be pronounced with two syllables.
Kanai is also given to girls, where it ranks #8095 in the US.
Pronounced kuh-NAH-ee.
As of November 2026, Kanai ranked #3213 for boys and #8095 for girls in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #6836 for girls in 2021.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | #4,888 | 20 | 11.1 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | #4,310 | 24 | 13.7 |
| 2022 | #3,821 | 29 | 16.6 |
| 2023 | #3,755 | 30 | 17.5 |
| 2024 | #4,127 | 26 | 15.1 |
| 2025 | #3,213 | 37 | 21.7 |