Bai
A unisex name derived from Chinese, meaning "white" or "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Bai. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Bai today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bai births was 1979 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bai. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bai. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1979
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
1979 SSA rank
#6,132
Tracked since 1979
Gender
Gender distribution for Bai
Bai is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 15 total registrations, 5 (33.3%) were male and 10 (66.7%) were female.
Bai as a male name
- Ranked #6,132 in 1979
- 5 male births in 1979
- Peak: 1979 (5 births)
Bai as a female name
- Ranked #16,856 in 2005
- 5 female births in 2005
- Peak: 1990 (5 births)
Popularity
Bai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bai from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 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
Bai 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 Bai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bai
The given name Bai has its origins in various cultures and languages across the world. It is believed to have derived from the Chinese word "bai," which means "white" or "pure." The name has been in use since ancient times in China, particularly among the Han Chinese ethnic group.
In Sanskrit, the name Bai is associated with the word "bai," meaning "little girl" or "daughter." It has been a popular name in India for centuries, particularly in the northern regions. The name also finds its roots in the Tamil language, where it is derived from the word "vai," meaning "garland" or "flower."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bai can be found in the ancient Chinese text, "The Book of Songs," which dates back to the 6th century BCE. The name is mentioned in several poems and verses, often associated with descriptions of beauty and purity.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Bai. One of the most famous was Bai Juyi (772-846 CE), a renowned Chinese poet and scholar during the Tang Dynasty. His works are considered among the finest in Classical Chinese literature.
Another historical figure was Bai Qiuying (1777-1854), a Chinese poet and painter from the Qing Dynasty. She was renowned for her exceptional calligraphy skills and her contributions to the development of the Lingnan painting style.
In India, Bai Santok Singh (1733-1789) was a prominent Sikh warrior and leader during the late 18th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion and consolidation of the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Bai Bureh (c. 1845-1898) was a influential leader of the Temne people in Sierra Leone. He led a uprising against British colonial rule in the late 19th century, which became known as the Hut Tax War.
Bai Xiaochun (1775-1855) was a Chinese painter and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty. She was renowned for her exceptional skills in the gongbi (meticulous) style of painting and her contributions to the development of the Shanghai School of painting.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Bai, highlighting its diverse cultural and linguistic origins, as well as its long-standing presence across various regions and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Bai
People
Bai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bai 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Bai a common name?
We classify Bai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bai most popular?
The single biggest year for Bai was 1979, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bai is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bai a female name?
Yes, 66.7% of people registered as Bai in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.