Given name
Kawaii
“of the water”
Kawaii is used as a given name. One Hawaiian interpretation is “of the water.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hawaiian interpretation is “of the water.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hawaiian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2005. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kawaii through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 53
- 10 boys · 43 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #11,410 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,410 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Similar names
If you love Kawaii, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kamalei
“child” · “a lei”
28% boys · 72% girls
Nohea
“handsome, pretty”
14% boys · 86% girls
Kaymari
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Nouri
Nouri is a surname from Persian.
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Kekeli
14% boys · 86% girls
Koi
“one who implores”
48% boys · 52% girls
Makani
“of the wind”
60% boys · 40% girls
Perfect
“one who is flawless”
37% boys · 63% girls