Given name & surname
Kawai
“from the garden island”
Kawai is a variant of Kauai. One Hawaiian interpretation is “from the garden island.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kawai is a variant of Kauai. One Hawaiian interpretation is “from the garden island.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Kawai is a variant of Kauai. An origin associated with Kauai is Hawaiian.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Kawai as a surname developed from 川合.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2008. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kawai through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 111
- 106 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2020
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,351 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −48%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,351 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 452 as a first name in 2020; 771 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kawai’s family of names
In English usage, Kawai as a surname developed from the Japanese form 川合. Kawai has a related form in Kauai. In Japanese usage, Kawai as a surname is a Roman-alphabet rendering of 川井.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Kawai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.