The name reached its all-time peak in 2005 with 22 births ranking #5711. RISING Recent data shows the name is currently rising.
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.