Kai is a name of Hawaiian origin meaning "sea". It is a unisex name that is used more than 90% of the time for boys in the US. While Kai can be used as a standalone name, it can also be a nickname for longer names. Some examples of longer names that can be shortened to Kai include:

• Malachi
• Malakai
• Kaimiris
• Kaito
• Kaipo
• Kaliani
• Cainan
• Kaimbe
• Gerard
• Cornelius
• Nicholas

It is worth noting that Kai is also found as an independent name in African, Chinese, Turkish, and Native American cultures.