Fun Facts About the Name Kaia
- More than 20 thousand babies named Kaia: U.S. records list 20,956 babies given the name Kaia from 1880 through 2025. Even 58 boys received the name Kaia - about 1 boy for every 360 girls.
What Does the Name Kaia Mean?
Kaia is mainly a Scandinavian feminine name, a variant spelling of Kaja, which is a short form of Katrine or Katarina - the Scandinavian forms of Katherine. Katherine goes back to the Greek Aikaterine, a name whose original form is uncertain; the explanation most often given links it to the Greek katharos, "pure," and that is the traditional meaning attached to Kaia.
Kaia is also used as a feminine form of Kai. Kai has several unrelated origins: it is a Frisian and Low German short form of names beginning with Kai-, a Scandinavian male name often connected with the Latin Caius, and it matches the Hawaiian word kai, "sea." The "sea" meaning sometimes given for Kaia belongs to this Hawaiian-inspired use of Kai, not to the Scandinavian name, so the two meanings come from separate sources rather than from one root.
Kaia Name History & Origins
The Scandinavian name Kaia belongs to the group of names formed from Kaja, a pet form of Katrine that has been recorded in Norway and Denmark. The spelling with ai is a later variant of Kaja. Norwegian also has the everyday noun kai, whose definite form is kaia, meaning "quay" or "pier"; the word matches the name in writing but has nothing to do with where the name comes from.
Kaja and its variants spread through the ordinary use of Katherine and its short forms in Scandinavia, and short forms of Katariina are likewise common in Estonia, where Kaia also appears. In English-speaking countries the name is often treated as a feminine counterpart of Kai, which is why the Hawaiian sense of kai is sometimes attached to it.
How Popular is the Name Kaia?
Kaia recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #180 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #193 | 1,618 | 0.1007% |
| 2024 | #180 | 1,675 | 0.1038% |
| 2023 | #186 | 1,612 | 0.1006% |
| 2022 | #225 | 1,334 | 0.0814% |
| 2021 | #231 | 1,304 | 0.0795% |
| 2020 | #300 | 1,075 | 0.0665% |
| 2019 | #315 | 1,014 | 0.0604% |
| 2018 | #313 | 1,066 | 0.0627% |
| 2017 | #331 | 991 | 0.0574% |
| 2016 | #368 | 886 | 0.0500% |
| 2015 | #447 | 708 | 0.0397% |
| 2014 | #545 | 567 | 0.0317% |
| 2013 | #604 | 466 | 0.0266% |
| 2012 | #563 | 522 | 0.0296% |
| 2011 | #597 | 480 | 0.0273% |
| 2010 | #547 | 536 | 0.0302% |
| 2009 | #592 | 509 | 0.0277% |
| 2008 | #665 | 462 | 0.0244% |
| 2007 | #638 | 466 | 0.0242% |
| 2006 | #695 | 408 | 0.0215% |
| 2005 | #691 | 401 | 0.0217% |
| 2004 | #698 | 385 | 0.0210% |
| 2003 | #619 | 434 | 0.0238% |
| 2002 | #584 | 444 | 0.0247% |
| 2001 | #893 | 257 | 0.0143% |
| 2000 | #905 | 242 | 0.0133% |
| 1999 | #1,273 | 146 | 0.0082% |
| 1998 | #1,892 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 1997 | #2,032 | 70 | 0.0040% |
| 1996 | #2,388 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1995 | #2,471 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 1994 | #3,134 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1993 | #3,014 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1992 | #3,169 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1991 | #2,680 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1990 | #3,318 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #3,517 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1988 | #3,523 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #4,561 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #3,689 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1985 | #4,949 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #3,658 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1983 | #4,357 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1982 | #3,700 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1981 | #4,226 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1980 | #3,907 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1979 | #3,593 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1978 | #3,146 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1977 | #3,425 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1976 | #4,038 | 16 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #3,437 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #4,112 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1973 | #5,021 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #3,620 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1971 | #5,733 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #5,209 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #6,236 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #6,578 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #5,178 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #4,641 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #6,172 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #4,952 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,808 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #5,124 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #6,261 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,932 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #11,278 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #13,126 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #10,220 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #7,868 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #13,463 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #10,648 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #11,575 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,207 | 9 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kaia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Kaia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kaia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.