Katai
A unisex Japanese name meaning "solid" or "persevering".
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the first name Katai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Katai today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katai births was 2014 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katai. 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
173
~ 1 in 1,981,239 Americans
Peak year
2014
34 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,627
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Katai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katai from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 117 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Katai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katai 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 Katai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Katais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Katai
The name Katai is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language and is thought to be a variation of the name "Katha" or "Kathak," which means "storyteller" or "narrator." The name can be traced back to ancient India, where storytelling and oral traditions played a significant role in preserving cultural heritage and imparting knowledge.
In ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata, there are references to storytellers and narrators who were highly revered for their ability to captivate audiences with their tales. These storytellers were often referred to as "Kathakas," and it is possible that the name Katai evolved from this term.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Katai can be found in the 12th century CE, when a renowned Indian dancer and choreographer named Katai Nayak was celebrated for his contributions to the Kathak dance form. Kathak is a classical Indian dance that originated as a form of storytelling, and Katai Nayak is credited with developing and refining its techniques.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures bearing the name Katai. Katai Khan was a prominent ruler of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, known for his military prowess and administrative skills. In the 18th century, Katai Raghunath was a revered Indian poet and scholar who wrote extensively on Hindu philosophy and mythology.
Moving to more recent times, Katai Tayama was a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as the Japanese Ambassador to the United States in the early 20th century. He played a significant role in fostering diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Another notable figure with the name Katai is Katai Ami, a celebrated Japanese author and literary critic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Katai Ami was a prominent figure in the Naturalist movement in Japanese literature and is remembered for his powerful and realistic depictions of everyday life.
While the name Katai may not be as common in modern times, it carries a rich cultural heritage and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout history.
People
Katai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katai 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
Katai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katai 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 1,981,239 US residents.
Is Katai a common name?
We classify Katai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katai most popular?
The single biggest year for Katai was 2014, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katai is about 8 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 Katai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Katai 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 Katai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katai 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 Katai 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 Katai?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.