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Home › Baby Names Directory › Lakai

Lakai

♂ Boy

Pronounced lə-KY /ləˈkaɪ/High

Meaning: Modern American coinage extending Kai — Hawaiian for 'sea' — with an La- opening; also the name of a beloved skateboarding shoe brandLow

In 30 seconds: Kai with a kickflip: Lakai rides the Hawaiian 'sea' name on a La- launch — and shares its spelling with one of skateboarding's iconic shoe brands. Ocean and ollie in one.
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Origin LowAmerican, Hawaiian
MeaningModern American coinage extending Kai — Hawaiian for 'sea' — with an La- opening; also the name of a beloved skateboarding shoe brand
U.S. rank (2025)#2963 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births42 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2025
Total births (all-time)≈ 557

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202520032025

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

Lakai is a recent American coinage that fronts Kai — Hawaiian 'sea', one of the era's favorite endings — with the La- prefix of modern naming. The skateboarding brand Lakai (founded 1999) embedded the word in board culture; in Hawaiian, similar sequences relate to following and accompanying, though the name as used is not a traditional Hawaiian given name.

It appears thinly in 2010s-2020s records. The name remains very rare — half surf, half skatepark, all twenty-first century.

Did you know? The Lakai footwear brand, founded by skate legends Mike Carroll and Rick Howard, chose a Hawaiian-flavored name — and skate-raised parents later returned the favor on birth certificates.
Overall data confidence 62%
U.S. Social Security Administration name files — recent emergence

Variations

LakhaiLekaiKai

Nicknames

Kai

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Lakai…

Kai— the sea-name at its core
Makai— the Hawaiian 'toward the sea' brother coinage
Koa— a fellow short Hawaiian favorite for boys
Kainoa— another Kai-built island name

Explore names like Lakai

By thememodernhawaiian-inspired
By meaningLoveSea / Water

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Lakai mean?

Lakai is a modern coinage extending Kai, Hawaiian for 'sea', with a La- opening; it is not a traditional Hawaiian name, and the skate brand shares the spelling.

How do you pronounce Lakai?

It's said lə-KY /ləˈkaɪ/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Lakai a boy or girl name?

Lakai is used mainly as a boy's name.

How popular is Lakai?

Lakai is a very rare, recent name in the U.S.

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