Kitai
A Japanese name meaning "hope" or "expectation".
Name Census estimates that about 265 living Americans carry the first name Kitai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kitai today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kitai births was 2014 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kitai. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kitai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
265
~ 1 in 1,293,413 Americans
Peak year
2014
62 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,026
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Kitai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kitai 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 174 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kitai remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kitai 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 Kitai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kitais live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kitai, while New York, Texas, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kitai
The name Kitai is believed to have originated from the Mongolian language, where it carries the meaning of "patience" or "endurance." This name can be traced back to the ancient Mongol Empire, which spanned across vast regions of Asia during the 13th and 14th centuries.
The roots of the name Kitai are closely tied to the nomadic lifestyle and cultural traditions of the Mongol people. In their language, the word "kitai" was used to describe the qualities of resilience and perseverance, highly valued virtues in the harsh environments they inhabited.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kitai can be found in the Secret History of the Mongols, a 13th-century literary work that chronicles the life and conquests of Genghis Khan. It is believed that some of Genghis Khan's followers or military commanders may have borne this name, as a testament to their unwavering loyalty and endurance on the battlefield.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Kitai. One such figure was Kitai Khan (1272-1324), a descendant of Genghis Khan who ruled over the Chagatai Khanate, a prominent Mongol territory spanning modern-day Central Asia.
Another prominent bearer of this name was Kitai Batyr (1783-1837), a celebrated Kazakh warrior and national hero known for his bravery and resistance against the Dzungar Khanate in the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, Kitai Aitmatov (1928-2008) was a celebrated Kyrgyz writer and Soviet-era author, whose works explored themes of tradition, modernity, and the human condition. His novel "The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years" is considered a masterpiece of Kyrgyz literature.
The name Kitai also gained prominence in the realm of Mongolian folklore and oral traditions. One such figure is Kitai the Blacksmith, a legendary hero known for his extraordinary strength and skill in forging weapons and armor.
Another historical figure bearing this name was Kitai Bator (1921-1997), a Mongolian politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Mongolia in the late 20th century.
While the name Kitai has its roots in the Mongolian language and culture, its meaning and symbolism have resonated across various regions and ethnicities, reflecting the values of resilience, perseverance, and strength of character.
People
Kitai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kitai 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
Kitai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kitai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 265 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kitai 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 1,293,413 US residents.
Is Kitai a common name?
We classify Kitai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 267 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kitai most popular?
The single biggest year for Kitai was 2014, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kitai 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 Kitai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kitai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kitai 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 Kitai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kitai 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 Kitai 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 Americans are named Kitai?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.