Kaito

♂ Boy

Pronounced KAYT-oh /ˈkeɪt.oʊ/Medium

Meaning: Sea, oceanMedium

In 30 seconds: Kaito is a Japanese boy's name meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'. It carries a wide, open feeling that maps directly onto its watery meaning.

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Origin MediumJapanese

MeaningSea, ocean

U.S. rank (2025)#2085 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births71 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2022

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,235

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Kaito comes from Japanese, where it is built from kanji that point to the sea and the ocean. As with many Japanese given names, the exact written characters can vary from family to family while the spoken name stays the same, and the 'ocean' sense is the one most people attach to it. It reads as fresh and contemporary rather than old-fashioned.

The two clean syllables, kai-to, give the name a brisk, balanced sound that travels well outside Japan. The voice actor Kaito Ishikawa, known for Tenya Iida in My Hero Academia and Tobio Kageyama in Haikyu!!, is one familiar bearer.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Kaito is 'sea, ocean', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name - Kaito — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Kaito Ishikawa (1993–present)
Japanese voice actor known for roles including Tenya Iida in My Hero Academia and Tobio Kageyama in Haikyu!!

If you like Kaito…

Kai— Shares the kai element and, in its Japanese sense, the same connection to the sea.

Sora— Japanese name tied to nature imagery (sky), a thematic cousin to Kaito's 'sea'.

Kanon— another Japanese name

Kairi— the same nature feel

Kirin— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Kaito

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Kaito mean?

Kaito is usually explained as meaning 'sea, ocean' and is most often linked with Japanese tradition.

How do you pronounce Kaito?

It's commonly said KAYT-oh /ˈkeɪt.oʊ/.

Is Kaito a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Kaito is used as a boy name.

How popular is Kaito?

In 2024, Kaito ranked #2030 in the U.S. for boys, with 75 births recorded.