Alekai
A Hawaiian name meaning "bright and cheerful."
Name Census estimates that about 152 living Americans carry the first name Alekai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alekai today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alekai births was 2021 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alekai. 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.
People living today
152
~ 1 in 2,254,963 Americans
Peak year
2021
21 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,454
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Alekai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alekai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 84 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alekai 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 Alekai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alekais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Alekai
The given name Alekai has its linguistic origins in the Hawaiian language, tracing back to the Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Islands. The name is composed of two Hawaiian words: "ale," meaning wave or billow, and "kai," which refers to the sea or ocean. Consequently, Alekai can be interpreted as "sea wave" or "ocean billow," reflecting the deep connection between the Hawaiian people and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
In Hawaiian culture, names often carry significant meaning and are closely tied to the natural world, with many deriving from elements of the island landscape, flora, and fauna. The name Alekai evokes a sense of power, movement, and the rhythmic ebb and flow of the ocean's currents, which played a central role in the lives of the ancient Hawaiians as skilled navigators and seafarers.
Records of the name Alekai can be traced back to the 18th century, with some of the earliest known individuals bearing this name being members of the Hawaiian ali'i (nobility) class. One notable figure from this era was Alekai Kalani, a high-ranking chief who lived during the reign of King Kamehameha I in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
As Hawaiian culture and traditions were documented and preserved in written form, the name Alekai also appeared in various historical accounts and literary works. For instance, the name is mentioned in the epic Hawaiian saga "Kumulipo," which details the creation chant and genealogies of the Hawaiian people.
Throughout history, several individuals with the name Alekai have left their mark in various fields. One such figure was Alekai Nui, a renowned Hawaiian wrestler and athlete who competed in the early 20th century, earning recognition for his exceptional strength and skill in traditional Hawaiian wrestling styles.
Another notable bearer of the name was Alekai Kekuaokalani, a prominent Hawaiian musician and composer in the mid-20th century, who played a significant role in preserving and promoting traditional Hawaiian music and dance.
In more recent times, the name Alekai has been carried by individuals such as Alekai Kaluna, a respected Hawaiian language educator and advocate for the preservation of indigenous languages and cultures, who worked tirelessly to revitalize the Hawaiian language and ensure its transmission to future generations.
Additionally, Alekai Makekau, a celebrated Hawaiian artist and sculptor, has gained recognition for his intricate woodcarvings and depictions of Hawaiian mythology and cultural motifs, keeping the rich artistic traditions of his ancestral homeland alive.
While these are just a few examples, the name Alekai has been borne by many notable individuals throughout history, each contributing to the preservation and celebration of Hawaiian culture, traditions, and identity.
People
Alekai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alekai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alekai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alekai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 152 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alekai 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 2,254,963 US residents.
Is Alekai a common name?
We classify Alekai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 153 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alekai most popular?
The single biggest year for Alekai was 2021, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alekai is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Alekai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alekai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alekai 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 Alekai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alekai 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 Alekai 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Alekai?
See how many people share the name Alekai on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.