Kaui
A Hawaiian name meaning "the sea breeze".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Kaui. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaui today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaui births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaui. 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 Kaui. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2006 SSA rank
#16,126
Tracked since 1963
Census
Kaui in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 171 people with the first name Kaui, which placed it at #42,203 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#42,203
National first-name rank
People counted
171
171 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
47.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaui
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaui is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (36.3%) and Hispanic (9.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kaui described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kaui at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander47.4% · 81
- Two or more races36.3% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino9.4% · 16
- White4.1% · 7
- Black or African American2.9% · 5
Popularity
Kaui: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaui from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 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
Kaui 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 Kaui during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kauis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaui
The name Kaui is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is derived from the word "kau'i," which means "to stand tall" or "to be strong." The name is thought to have been used by the indigenous Hawaiians as early as the 15th century, during the period before European contact.
Kaui was a popular name among the Hawaiian nobility and chieftains, as it represented strength, resilience, and leadership qualities that were highly valued in their society. It was often bestowed upon those who displayed exceptional bravery or accomplished great feats.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Kaui can be found in the ancient Hawaiian chants and genealogies, which were passed down orally from generation to generation. These oral traditions celebrated the exploits of legendary figures and heroes who bore this name.
In the 18th century, a notable Hawaiian chief named Kaui Kaomoana was known for his prowess in warfare and his ability to navigate the treacherous ocean currents. He was revered for his skills as a navigator and his leadership during a time of conflict among the Hawaiian islands.
Another significant figure in Hawaiian history was Kaui Keoua, a high chief who lived in the late 18th century and fought against the forces of King Kamehameha I, who sought to unify the Hawaiian islands under his rule. Kaui Keoua's resistance and bravery in the face of Kamehameha's armies earned him a place in Hawaiian folklore.
In the 19th century, Princess Kaui Kekuahulu was a prominent member of the Hawaiian royal family. She was known for her advocacy of traditional Hawaiian culture and her efforts to preserve the language and customs of her people.
During the 20th century, the name Kaui gained recognition beyond Hawaii when Kaui Hart Hemmings, an American author, published her bestselling novel "The Descendants" in 2011. The book, set in Hawaii, featured a character named Kaui, which helped to introduce the name to a wider audience.
Overall, the name Kaui holds a rich historical significance in Hawaiian culture, representing strength, leadership, and a connection to the natural world. Its enduring popularity reflects the enduring spirit of the Hawaiian people and their deep reverence for their ancestral roots.
People
Kaui + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaui 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
Kaui: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaui?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaui 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Kaui a common name?
We classify Kaui as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaui most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaui was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaui is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kaui in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 171 people with the name Kaui, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,203 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kaui in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kaui?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kaui on both sides of the split. Of the 179 people counted with this name, 43 were male (24.0%) and 136 were female (76.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kaui?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaui is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (36.3%) and Hispanic (9.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kaui most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kaui in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.4% (81 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kaui in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaui a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaui 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.
Is Kaui still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaui 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 Kaui 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.
How many people share the name Kaui?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.