Enai
A name of uncertain origin, possibly deriving from a Native American language.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Enai. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Enai today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Enai births was 2022 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Enai. 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 Enai. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2022
11 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,269
Tracked since 2022
Gender
Gender distribution for Enai
Enai is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Enai as a male name
- Ranked #11,269 in 2022
- 6 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (6 births)
Enai as a female name
- Ranked #16,032 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2022 (5 births)
Popularity
Enai: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Enai 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 Enai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 5 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Enai
The given name Enai is believed to have originated from the Enets language, which is spoken by the Enets people in northern Russia near the Yenisei River. The Enets are a small indigenous group closely related to the Nenets people. The name Enai is thought to derive from the Enets word "enai," which translates to "life" or "living."
Historically, the Enets people were nomadic reindeer herders and hunters who inhabited the harsh Arctic tundra regions of northern Siberia. Their language and culture have been heavily influenced by their close proximity to other indigenous groups like the Nenets and Khanty. Records of the name Enai can be traced back to the 17th century when the Enets first encountered Russian explorers and traders in the region.
While the name Enai does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its meaning as "life" or "living" may have held significance in the traditional beliefs and practices of the Enets people, which were closely tied to their nomadic way of life and the natural world around them.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Enai was Enai Khantadi, an Enets leader and reindeer herder who lived in the late 18th century. He is noted for his role in negotiating peaceful relations between the Enets and Russian settlers in the region.
Another notable figure was Enai Bayir (1832-1912), an Enets shaman and healer who was renowned for his knowledge of traditional medicinal practices and his ability to communicate with the spirit world.
In the 20th century, Enai Ngamtusova (1919-1997) gained recognition as an Enets writer and cultural preservationist, publishing several works that documented the language, folklore, and traditions of her people.
Enai Porsilova (1931-2008) was an Enets activist and educator who worked tirelessly to promote the revitalization of the Enets language and culture, establishing language programs and advocating for the rights of indigenous communities in Russia.
More recently, Enai Serotetto (1975-present) is a contemporary Enets artist known for his intricate carvings and sculptures that depict the traditional way of life and spiritual beliefs of the Enets people.
People
Enai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Enai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Enai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Enai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Enai 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Enai a common name?
We classify Enai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Enai most popular?
The single biggest year for Enai was 2022, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Enai is about 4 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 Enai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Enai a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Enai 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 Enai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Enai 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 Enai 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 many people share the name Enai?
Want to know how many people share the name Enai? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.