Given name & surname
Nai
“his grace”
Nai is a variant of Nay. One Arabic interpretation is “his grace.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nai is a variant of Nay. One Arabic interpretation is “his grace.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Nai is a variant of Nay. An origin associated with Nay is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1980. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nai through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 389
- 82 boys · 307 girls
- Most popular year
- 1981
- 25 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #8,707 for girls · #11,576 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 8,707 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,949 as a first name in 2020; 464 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.
Nai’s family of names
Nai has a related form in Nay. In Greek usage, Nai as a surname is a transliteration of Νάι. In Greek usage, Nai as a surname is a transliteration of Ναή.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Nai
- Yao NaiQing Dynasty scholar (1731–1815)
- Nai BarghoutiPalestinian world musician, singer and songwriterborn 1996
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nai, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Neeta
“resembling a bear” · “God is giving”
>99% girls
Shauntai
“filled with hope”
>99% girls
Nadege
“one who is full of hope”
>99% girls
Day
“a father's hope for tomor- TOW” · “born during the daylight”
28% boys · 72% girls
Charissa
“having grace and kindness”
>99% girls
Graziella
Graziella is a variant of Grace. As a name, Grace carries the word’s association with divine favour. Grace’s meaning comes from a vocabulary word rather than a compound of older personal names.
>99% girls
Zarifa
“one who is successful; moves with grace”
>99% girls
Shontai
“filled with hope”
>99% girls