Kaia
Kaia was the 193rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,618 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 180th with 1,680 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 254 places. More babies were named Kaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Estonian, Norwegian, Hawaiian
Say it KY-uh /ˈkaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #193 girls, up 107 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,618girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20241,680 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,967babies recorded
What does the name Kaia mean?
Kaia has more than one source. Wiktionary records it as an Estonian girl's name, a variant of Katariina (Katherine), and Wikipedia describes it as Estonian and Norwegian. Wikipedia also notes its use as a feminine of Kai, which in Hawaiian means 'sea'. In the US both associations are common, and parents may also see it as a form of Kaya or Kaja.
Katariina (Estonian, “Katherine”)kai (Hawaiian, “sea”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Scandinavian/Estonian pet form of Katherine, or a feminine of Kai; both are documented.
Related names: Kaja, Kai, Kaya, Katherine.
See also: Scandinavian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kaia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Kaia (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'kai', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Kaia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 58 since 2001, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #193 | 1,618 |
| 2020 | #300 | 1,076 |
| 2010 | #547 | 536 |
| 2000 | #905 | 242 |
| 1990 | #3,318 | 33 |
| 1980 | #3,907 | 20 |
| 1970 | #5,209 | 10 |
| 1960 | #4,953 | 8 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaia, counting every spelling?
Kaia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #178 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #193 for Kaia on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,962 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaia | 1,618 | #193 | 7,550 |
| Kaya | 206 | #1,133 | 1,230 |
| Caia | 64 | #2,696 | 388 |
| Kaiah | 52 | #3,119 | 299 |
| Kayah | 22 | #5,639 | 77 |
| Caya | — | — | 29 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kaia?
1,618 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaia (0.45 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaia?
About 20,700 people born in the US named Kaia are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Kaia a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kaia by state
How common Kaia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (15.1×), Alaska (3.0×), Washington (2.3×), Nevada (2.1×), South Dakota (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kaia · Sibling names for Kaia
Questions about the name Kaia
What does Kaia mean?
The origin of Kaia is uncertain: Scandinavian/Estonian pet form of Katherine, or a feminine of Kai; both are documented.
How popular is the name Kaia?
Kaia was the 193rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,618 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 180th with 1,680 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 254 places. More babies were named Kaia in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Kaia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaia in the US.
Where is Kaia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaia was most common in Hawaii (14.04 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Washington.