Jachai
A male name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will revive" or "he will live".
Name Census estimates that about 364 living Americans carry the first name Jachai. It is a predominantly male name (97.3% of registrations). The average person named Jachai today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jachai births was 1997 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jachai. 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
364
~ 1 in 941,633 Americans
Peak year
1997
63 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,589
Tracked since 1996
Gender
Gender distribution for Jachai
Jachai leans heavily male at 97.3% of total registrations, but 10 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jachai as a male name
- Ranked #9,325 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1997 (53 births)
Jachai as a female name
- Ranked #8,589 in 1997
- 10 female births in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (10 births)
Popularity
Jachai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jachai from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 146 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jachai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jachai 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 Jachai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jachais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jachai
The name Jachai is of Hebrew origin, tracing its roots back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "chai," meaning "life" or "alive," and is often associated with the phrase "chai vekayam," which means "living and enduring."
This name holds a strong connection to Jewish culture and tradition. In the Torah, the phrase "chai vekayam" is used to express the concept of eternal life and the enduring nature of God's covenant with the Jewish people. The name Jachai, therefore, carries a symbolic significance, representing the idea of vitality, longevity, and the continuity of life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jachai can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism. The Talmud mentions a sage named Jachai, who lived during the 2nd century CE and was renowned for his wisdom and teachings. This historical figure's name serves as a testament to the antiquity of the name's usage within Jewish communities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jachai. One prominent example is Jachai ben Shmuel Ha-Kohen, a prominent medieval Jewish philosopher and poet who lived in Spain during the 12th century. His works, which explored themes of ethics, morality, and the human condition, have left an indelible mark on Jewish thought and literature.
Another influential figure was Jachai ben Yosef ibn Akni, a 13th-century Spanish rabbi and scholar known for his contributions to Jewish law and philosophy. His commentaries on the Talmud and other Jewish texts have been widely studied and revered within the Jewish intellectual tradition.
In more recent times, Jachai Rofe, an Israeli author and playwright born in 1933, gained recognition for his literary works that explored the complexities of modern Israeli society and the human experience.
Jachai Politz, a prominent Israeli businessman and philanthropist born in 1927, made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and initiatives, leaving a lasting impact on his community.
The name Jachai has also been carried by artists and musicians, such as Jachai Gerstein, a renowned Israeli painter and sculptor born in 1935, whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
While the name Jachai has its roots in ancient Hebrew culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and continues to be used across various communities, carrying with it the symbolic meaning of life, vitality, and endurance.
People
Jachai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jachai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jachai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jachai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 364 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jachai 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 941,633 US residents.
Is Jachai a common name?
We classify Jachai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 368 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jachai most popular?
The single biggest year for Jachai was 1997, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jachai is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jachai a male name?
Yes, 97.3% of people registered as Jachai 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.
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.