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Home › Baby Names Directory › Hai

Hai

♂ Boy

Pronounced HY /ˈhaɪ/Medium

Meaning: Hai in American records is overwhelmingly the Vietnamese name Hải, meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'; in some families it can also mark birth order ('second'). It appears in the SSA data with the post-1975 wave of Vietnamese refugee and immigrant families, and is pronounced roughly 'HY'.Medium

In 30 seconds: Hai is a Vietnamese boy's name, usually from Hải meaning 'sea' or 'ocean', carried to the US by post-1975 immigrant families (said 'HY').
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Origin MediumVietnamese
MeaningHai in American records is overwhelmingly the Vietnamese name Hải, meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'; in some families it can also mark birth order ('second'). It appears in the SSA data with the post-1975 wave of Vietnamese refugee and immigrant families, and is pronounced roughly 'HY'.
U.S. rank (2015)#9036 ↗ Rising
2015 U.S. births8 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1983
Total births (all-time)≈ 567

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198319752015

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Hai reflects Vietnamese Hải, 'sea' or 'ocean', a common and evocative element in Vietnamese names. Its arrival in the US data from the mid-1970s tracks the Vietnamese diaspora after the war, and among some families the sound can also carry the ordinal sense 'second'.

It has always been modest in the US, drawing a few dozen boys a year around its early-1980s high and remaining a heritage name rather than a mainstream one. For Vietnamese-American families it stays a meaningful, water-rooted choice; outside that community it is little known.

Did you know? Hai entered American birth records almost entirely after 1975, when families resettling from Vietnam brought it with them; even so it stayed rare, at only a few dozen boys a year.
Overall data confidence 60%
References — Hai — Vietnamese Hải, 'sea/ocean'; post-1975 diaspora cohort

Variations

HảiHy

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

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If you like Hai…

Quan— a fellow one-syllable Vietnamese boy's name
Minh— a common Vietnamese name in the same immigrant cohort
Thanh— a like Vietnamese given name of the era
Khai— a short Vietnamese name with a comparable sound

Explore names like Hai

By themerareheritagevietnamese

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Hai mean?

Hai is usually the Vietnamese name Hải, meaning 'sea' or 'ocean', and in some families marks birth order.

How do you pronounce Hai?

It's said HY /ˈhaɪ/ — one syllable, like 'high'.

Is Hai a boy or girl name?

In these US records Hai is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Hai?

Hai has always been rare in the US, a heritage name that arrived with Vietnamese families after the mid-nineteen-seventies.

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