UK name, mostly boys
Cai
Chinese masculine name derived from archaic words meaning "glory" or "great".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cai is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Cai popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #664, with 56 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 192 births.
This profile covers 2,688 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 29% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,762 living people in the UK are called Cai. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cai ranked #664 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 56 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 192 boys were registered as Cai.
- • Cai ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #272 in 2023.
- • About 2,762 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cai as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.4% of Cai registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#664
2024
Births in 2024
56
Latest year
Peak year
2006
192 births
Estimated living
2,762
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Cai
In England and Wales birth records, Cai has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.4% of registrations are for boys and 0.6% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Cai registered for boys
- Ranked #664 in 2024
- 56 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (192 births)
Cai registered for girls
- Ranked #5,061 in 2006
- 3 girls registered in 2006
- Peak: 2005 (5 births)
Meaning
What does Cai mean?
The name Cai has its origins in Welsh culture, stemming from the Welsh word "cai," which means "keeper" or "protector." This name was prevalent in Wales during the Middle Ages and has been traced back to as early as the 6th century AD.
Cai was a popular name among the ancient Britons, and it appears in various Welsh legends and myths. One notable reference is the character Cai Hir (Cai the Tall) in the Arthurian legends, who was a close companion and knight of King Arthur.
In the 12th century, the name Cai was recorded in the Brut y Brenhinedd (Chronicle of the Kings), a Welsh language manuscript that details the history of the British Isles. This early written record highlights the longstanding use of the name in Welsh culture.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Cai was Cai ab Idwal (born around 1050), a Welsh prince and heir to the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Another notable figure was Cai ap Bleddyn (died 1109), a Welsh nobleman who fought against the Norman conquest of Wales.
Throughout history, the name Cai has been borne by various notable individuals, including Cai Hir Holland (1618-1672), a Welsh poet and writer; Cai Withrow (1814-1895), an American pioneer and settler in Oregon; Cai Guo-Qiang (born 1957), a renowned Chinese artist known for his explosive artworks; and Cai Yingwen (born 1962), a Taiwanese politician and the first woman elected as President of Taiwan in 2016.
Despite its Welsh origins, the name Cai has also gained popularity in other cultures, such as China and Taiwan, where it is often rendered as 蔡 or 蓋 in Chinese characters, with variations in pronunciation and meaning.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cai over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Cai in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cai, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 56 births in 2024, compared with 192 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cai by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cai was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #658 | 273 | 5 |
| 2010s | #479 | 855 | 10 |
| 2000s | #268 | 1,316 | 10 |
| 1990s | #377 | 244 | 4 |
Geography
Where Cai is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cai. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Cai ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #272 in 2023.
Across the UK
Cai in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#590 in 2022
19 years of NRS records, 72 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#272 in 2023
6 years of NISRA records, 23 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cai
-
Cai Tomos
artist
Independent dance artist
1979-
-
Cai Parry-Jones
historian
author
-
Cai Dyfan
singer
Welsh musician
-
Cai Morgan
director
Welsh director
Related
Names similar to Cai
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Cai: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cai in the UK right now?
In 2024, Cai was ranked #664 for boys in England and Wales, with 56 births registered.
When was Cai most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 192 babies registered as Cai in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cai?
Chinese masculine name derived from archaic words meaning "glory" or "great".
How many people are called Cai in the UK?
A total of 2,688 babies have been registered as Cai across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 72 more in Scotland and 23 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Cai most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Cai ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #272 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.