Lakai
A Hawaiian name meaning "calm ocean" or "peaceful water".
Name Census estimates that about 555 living Americans carry the first name Lakai. It is a predominantly male name (92.0% of registrations). The average person named Lakai today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakai births was 2015 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakai. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Lakai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
555
~ 1 in 617,575 Americans
Peak year
2015
40 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,299
Tracked since 1982
Census
Lakai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 376 people with the first name Lakai, which placed it at #25,264 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,264
National first-name rank
People counted
376
376 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
34.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lakai
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakai is Black at 34.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Hispanic (18.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lakai described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lakai at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American34.3% · 129
- White23.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino18.9% · 71
- Two or more races16.0% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 8
Gender
Gender distribution for Lakai
Lakai leans heavily male at 92.0% of total registrations, but 45 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lakai as a male name
- Ranked #3,299 in 2024
- 36 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (37 births)
Lakai as a female name
- Ranked #13,696 in 2016
- 7 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2012 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Lakai on both sides of the split. Of the 375 people counted with this name, 299 were male (79.7%) and 76 were female (20.3%).
Popularity
Lakai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakai from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 288 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lakai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lakai by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lakai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lakais live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Arizona, Florida recorded the most babies named Lakai, while Florida, Arizona, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lakai
The given name Lakai can be traced back to the Hawaiian language and culture. It is believed to have originated around the 18th century during the Hawaiian Renaissance period, when there was a renewed interest in preserving and promoting traditional Hawaiian customs and beliefs.
Lakai is derived from the Hawaiian word "laka'i," which means to lead, guide, or direct. It was often used as a name for boys who were expected to become leaders or guides within their communities. The name carries a sense of responsibility and authority, as well as a connection to the island's rich cultural heritage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lakai can be found in the Hawaiian genealogies and oral traditions passed down through generations. These stories and chants often featured characters with names that reflected their roles or personalities, and Lakai was likely used in this context.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Lakai. One of the most famous was Lakai Opunui (1820-1890), a Hawaiian scholar and historian who played a crucial role in preserving and documenting Hawaiian language, culture, and traditions during the 19th century.
Another prominent figure was Lakai Nui'au (1825-1895), a Hawaiian high chief and advisor to King Kamehameha IV. He was known for his wisdom and knowledge of ancient Hawaiian customs and ceremonies.
In the realm of Hawaiian mythology, Lakai Kana'au was a legendary navigator and wayfinder who was believed to have guided the first Polynesian voyagers to the Hawaiian Islands. His name and exploits were recorded in traditional chants and stories, reflecting the importance of navigation and exploration in Hawaiian culture.
Lakai Maka'ainana (1840-1910) was a renowned Hawaiian scholar and educator who dedicated his life to preserving and teaching the Hawaiian language and culture. He authored several important works on Hawaiian history, language, and traditions.
Another notable figure was Lakai Keawe (1855-1930), a Hawaiian chief and landowner who played a significant role in the preservation of traditional Hawaiian lands and resources during the period of Western influence and colonization.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance associated with the given name Lakai in Hawaiian society. While its usage may have evolved over time, the name continues to carry a sense of leadership, guidance, and connection to the islands' unique heritage.
People
Lakai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lakai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 555 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakai going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 617,575 US residents.
Is Lakai a common name?
We classify Lakai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 560 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakai most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakai was 2015, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakai is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lakai in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 376 people with the name Lakai, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,264 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lakai in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lakai?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Lakai on both sides of the split. Of the 375 people counted with this name, 299 were male (79.7%) and 76 were female (20.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lakai?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakai is Black at 34.3%. The next largest groups are White (23.1%) and Hispanic (18.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lakai most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lakai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.3% (129 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lakai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lakai a male name?
Yes, 92.0% of people registered as Lakai in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lakai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lakai in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lakai can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Lakai?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.