Kaige
A masculine Japanese name meaning "radiant accomplishment" or "brilliant story".
Name Census estimates that about 449 living Americans carry the first name Kaige. It is a predominantly male name (98.9% of registrations). The average person named Kaige today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaige births was 2012 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaige. 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
449
~ 1 in 763,373 Americans
Peak year
2012
30 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,348
Tracked since 1995
Gender
Gender distribution for Kaige
Kaige leans heavily male at 98.9% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kaige as a male name
- Ranked #10,348 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (30 births)
Kaige as a female name
- Ranked #18,137 in 2012
- 5 female births in 2012
- Peak: 2012 (5 births)
Popularity
Kaige: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaige 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 210 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaige 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 Kaige during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaiges live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaige
The name Kaige is believed to have originated from the Japanese language, although its precise roots and meaning are uncertain. Some linguists suggest it may be derived from the Japanese word "kai," meaning "ocean" or "sea," combined with the suffix "-ge," which could signify "son" or "child." However, this theory is speculative, and the true origin remains unclear.
In ancient Japanese texts, the name Kaige is rarely encountered, indicating it was not a common name during the classical era. The earliest recorded individual with this name appears to be Kaige Masahiro, a minor samurai who lived during the Sengoku period (c. 1467-1615). Historical records provide little detail about his life or accomplishments.
It was not until the Edo period (1603-1868) that the name Kaige gained some prominence. One notable figure was Kaige Nobuyoshi (1650-1724), a scholar and poet who served as a court advisor to the Tokugawa shogunate. His collection of haiku and tanka poetry is still studied by literary scholars today.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), a few individuals bearing the name Kaige achieved recognition. Kaige Takamori (1832-1901) was a samurai who later became a prominent politician and played a role in the Meiji Restoration. Meanwhile, Kaige Yoshitaka (1868-1942) was a celebrated artist known for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints depicting scenes from everyday life.
In more recent history, Kaige Naoto (1901-1978) was a respected physicist who made significant contributions to the study of quantum mechanics. Additionally, Kaige Hiroshi (1920-2005) was a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Tokyo and Kyoto.
While the name Kaige has never been widespread, it has been carried by a few notable individuals throughout Japanese history, primarily in the fields of art, literature, and academia. However, its precise origins and meaning remain shrouded in mystery, adding to the intrigue and uniqueness of this name.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kaige
People
Kaige + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaige as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaige: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaige?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 449 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaige 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 763,373 US residents.
Is Kaige a common name?
We classify Kaige as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 454 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaige most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaige was 2012, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaige is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kaige a male name?
Yes, 98.9% of people registered as Kaige 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.