Cai is a distinctive choice, ranked #664 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Cai in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#664
About the Name Cai
Cai has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 96 places in five years. It was most popular in 2002 at #272 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Cai is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Cai
Unlikely. With around 56 UK babies named Cai per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Cai in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Cai has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 96 places in the last five years. Its peak was #272 in 2002. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Cai is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Cai include: Cai Xuetong — Cai Xuetong (Chinese: 蔡雪桐; pinyin: Cài Xuětóng; Mandarin pronunciation: [tsʰâɪ ɕɥè tʰʊ̌ŋ]; born 26 September 1993) is a Chinese snowboarder.; Cai Dexian — Cai Dexian is a Singaporean Major General who has been serving as Chief of Army since 2025.; Cai Ming (actress) — Cai Ming is a Chinese singer, actress, and sketch comedy performer..
Cai does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Cais in the wild.
56
UK babies named Cai (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 96 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Cai
Likely around 1 other Cai in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Cai
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Cai Guo-Qiang is a Chinese artist living in the US. He primarily utilizes pyrotechnics, with gunpowder and fireworks at the center at the of many of his works.
Cai Yong (132/133 – c. June 192), courtesy name Bojie, was a Chinese astronomer, calligrapher, historian, mathematician, musician, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty.
Cai Yuanpei, spelt Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei (Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 Yüan2-p'ei2) during his lifetime, was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with his own education ideology.
Xun Cai (荀采; fl.2nd century), courtesy name Nüxun (女荀), was a Chinese noblewoman and poet from the late Eastern Han dynasty to the early Three Kingdoms period.