Wai
A unisex name of Chinese origin meaning "long-lasting" or "eternal".
Name Census estimates that about 247 living Americans carry the first name Wai. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Wai today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wai births was 1982 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wai. 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 Wai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
247
~ 1 in 1,387,669 Americans
Peak year
1982
26 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1995 SSA rank
#10,272
Tracked since 1970
Census
Wai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,502 people with the first name Wai, which placed it at #3,693 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
#3,693
National first-name rank
People counted
5.5K
5,502 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wai
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wai is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%) and White (0.5%). 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 Wai 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 Wai at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 5,420
- Two or more races0.5% · 28
- White0.5% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 20
- Black or African American0.1% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Wai
Wai is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 262 total registrations, 174 (66.4%) were male and 88 (33.6%) were female.
Wai as a male name
- Ranked #10,272 in 1995
- 5 male births in 1995
- Peak: 1977 (15 births)
Wai as a female name
- Ranked #16,859 in 1999
- 5 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1982 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wai on both sides of the split. Of the 5,502 people counted with this name, 2,814 were male (51.1%) and 2,688 were female (48.9%).
Popularity
Wai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wai from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wai 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 Wai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wais live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wai
The name Wai is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language, where it means "water" or "liquid." This name has been in use since ancient times, reflecting the importance of water in Hawaiian culture and the reverence for the natural world.
In Hawaiian mythology, Wai is also the name of a goddess associated with fresh water and streams. This goddess was revered for her life-giving properties and her role in sustaining the island's ecosystems.
The name Wai can be found in various ancient Hawaiian chants and oral traditions, which were passed down through generations before being recorded in written form. These chants often celebrated the beauty of the islands and the significance of water in daily life.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Wai is Wai'ali'i, a female ruler of the island of Kaua'i in the late 17th century. She was known for her wisdom and her efforts to maintain peace among the various chiefdoms on the island.
Another notable figure in Hawaiian history who bore the name Wai was Wai'olama, a celebrated warrior and chief who lived in the late 18th century. He was renowned for his bravery and leadership during times of conflict.
In the 19th century, Wai'olu was a prominent Hawaiian scholar and educator who played a significant role in preserving the Hawaiian language and culture. She was instrumental in establishing schools and promoting the study of Hawaiian traditions.
Beyond Hawaii, the name Wai has also been used in various parts of Asia, particularly in countries influenced by Chinese culture. In Chinese, the name Wai can mean "intricate" or "elegant," and it has been given to both males and females.
One famous historical figure with the name Wai is Wai Zhuliu, a renowned Chinese painter and calligrapher who lived during the 8th century. His works are celebrated for their delicate brushstrokes and artistic mastery.
In Japan, the name Wai is sometimes used as a shortened form of names like Waichiro or Waiko, although its usage is relatively rare. One notable Japanese figure with this name was Wai Tsutomu, a samurai warrior who lived in the 16th century and was known for his loyalty and martial skills.
People
Wai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 247 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wai 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 1,387,669 US residents.
Is Wai a common name?
We classify Wai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 262 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wai most popular?
The single biggest year for Wai was 1982, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wai is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wai in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,502 people with the name Wai, or 1.82 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,693 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 Wai 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 Wai?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wai on both sides of the split. Of the 5,502 people counted with this name, 2,814 were male (51.1%) and 2,688 were female (48.9%). 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 Wai?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wai is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%) and White (0.5%). 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 Wai most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Wai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (5,420 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 Wai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wai a male name?
Yes, 66.4% of people registered as Wai 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 Wai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wai 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 Wai 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 are called Wai?
You can see how many Americans are named Wai on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.