Makai is a distinctive boys' name in United States, ranking #518 in 2022 with 572 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2025 with 626 births ranking #481. Since 1996, the popularity has increased by 3,264.7%. In 2022, approximately 1 in every 3,050 boys born was named Makai. STABLE Recent data shows the name is currently stable.
Makai is treated by Behind the Name as a modern variant of Mekhi. Through that route it belongs to the biblical name family associated with the idea of a gift from God.
The spelling is modern and the form itself is recent, but it is linked to an existing modern name rather than being wholly detached from earlier tradition. Its popularity has grown with other compact vowel-rich boys’ names.