heyotag

Name meaning & stats

Kei

Kei means “narrow strait” (Germanic origin). 824 US babies since 1940, peak 2015. Notable Keis are 2.3× over-represented as actors.

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What it means

“narrow strait”

GermanicSpelling of Kye

Kye around the world

  • カイ · Japanese

In US birth records

Peak year: 2015

40s50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s

824 US babies were named Kei between 1940 and 2025.

Kei around the world

  • France: 55 babies since 1900, peak 2021, No. 2,933 in 2025
  • England & Wales: 71 babies since 1996, peak 2006, No. 4,975 in 2025

From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.

Where Keis end up

Careervs expectedConfidence
Footballer1.5×Medium · 23 people
Actor2.3×Medium · 22 people
Baseball player2.2×Low · 9 people
Screenwriter1.6×Low · 7 people

Among notable men who are actors, Keis show up 2.3× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.

Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.

Other spellings

1 in 12 Kyes spell it Kei

  • Kye 59%
  • Ky 16%
  • Kei 8%
  • Ki 5%
  • Khi 4%
  • Kyi 2%
  • Key 2%
  • Khye 1%
  • Khy 1%
  • Kie 1%

Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.

Name twins (peaked around 2015)