NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Sai

A masculine name of Indian origin representing a spiritual leader or saint.

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.

Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 148 girls.

Sai is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Sai popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #847, with 38 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 38 births.

This profile covers 501 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.

Sai is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 504 living people in the UK are called Sai. 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

  • Sai ranked #847 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 38 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2024, when 38 boys were registered as Sai.
  • Sai ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #686 in 2015.
  • Sai is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
  • About 504 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sai as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 77.2% of Sai registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#847

2024

Births in 2024

38

Latest year

Peak year

2024

38 births

Estimated living

504

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Sai

In England and Wales birth records, Sai has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 77.2% of registrations are for boys and 22.8% 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.

77% boys
23% girls
Boys501 (77.2%)Girls148 (22.8%)

Sai registered for boys

  • Ranked #847 in 2024
  • 38 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2024 (38 births)

Sai registered for girls

  • Ranked #2,927 in 2023
  • 8 girls registered in 2023
  • Peak: 2008 (12 births)

Meaning

What does Sai mean?

The name Sai has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian subcontinent. The name's earliest recorded use dates back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts from around 1500 BCE.

In Sanskrit, the word "sai" means "the divine" or "the supreme being." It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit root word "sat," which means "being" or "existence." The name Sai is often associated with various Hindu deities and spiritual leaders.

One of the earliest and most significant historical references to the name Sai can be found in the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture that is a part of the epic Mahabharata. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna is referred to as "Sai" or "Saiyam," which means "the highest truth" or "the ultimate reality."

Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who have borne the name Sai. One of the most well-known is Sai Baba of Shirdi (1838-1918), a renowned Indian spiritual master and saint who is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.

Another prominent figure with the name Sai is Sai Shyam Sundar Das (1799-1878), a Hindu saint and poet from Bengal, India, who is known for his devotional poetry and his contribution to the Baul tradition.

In the 20th century, Sai Baba of Puttaparthi (1926-2011), also known as Sathya Sai Baba, was a highly influential spiritual leader and philanthropist from Andhra Pradesh, India. He gained a massive following worldwide and established numerous charitable organizations.

The name Sai has also been used by other notable individuals, such as Sai Paranjpye (born 1938), an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter, and Sai Pallavi (born 1992), a popular Indian actress who has appeared in several Telugu and Malayalam films.

Sai Reddy (1931-2011) was an Indian classical singer and musician, known for his contributions to the Hindustani classical music tradition. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honor, for his exceptional work in the field of music.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Sai over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Sai 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 Sai, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 38 births in 2024, compared with 38 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
010192938199620102024

Decades

Sai by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sai 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 #1216 120 5
2010s #1189 229 10
2000s #1539 128 10
1990s #1871 24 4

Geography

Where Sai is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sai. 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.

Sai ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #686 in 2015.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Sai in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#686 in 2015

2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered

Related

Names similar to Sai

FAQ

Sai: questions and answers

How popular is the name Sai in the UK right now?

In 2024, Sai was ranked #847 for boys in England and Wales, with 38 births registered.

When was Sai most popular?

The peak year on record was 2024, with 38 babies registered as Sai in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Sai?

A masculine name of Indian origin representing a spiritual leader or saint.

How many people are called Sai in the UK?

A total of 501 babies have been registered as Sai across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.

Where is Sai most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Sai ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #686 in 2015. 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.