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Chai as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Chai

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The baby name Chai is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced English common: CHAI /tʃaɪ/,Hebrew: KHAI /χaɪ/ (חַי),Thai/Hindi: CHAI /tɕʰaj/ (often pronounced like 'jai').

Chai is Chinese, Sanskrit, Thai in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Chinese, Sanskrit, Thai
Pronunciation: English common: CHAI /tʃaɪ/,Hebrew: KHAI /χaɪ/ (חַי),Thai/Hindi: CHAI /tɕʰaj/ (often pronounced like 'jai')

What is the meaning of the name Chai ?

The baby name Chai is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced English common: CHAI /tʃaɪ/,Hebrew: KHAI /χaɪ/ (חַי),Thai/Hindi: CHAI /tɕʰaj/ (often pronounced like 'jai').

Chai is Chinese, Sanskrit, Thai in Origin.

Chai (Hebrew: חי, pronounced with a guttural kh) means “life” and serves both as a standalone Jewish given name and as a short form of Chaim/Haim. It appears in medieval records - most notably with the 11th‑century scholar Hai (Chai) Gaon - and holds strong cultural resonance via the toast l’chaim and the number 18, matching the word’s numeric value. Variants and related forms include Hai, Haim/Chaim (Hyam, Hyman), and the feminine Chaya/Haya; in English contexts, Chai may be adopted independently. The “tea” sense of chai is unrelated etymologically.

Beyond Hebrew, Chai is also Thai ชัย, meaning “victory,” used on its own and in compound names such as Somchai and Boonchai. Additionally, Chinese Chái (柴) is a surname meaning “firewood,” occasionally adapted as a given name. Contemporary usage spans Jewish, Thai, and multicultural settings - typically masculine, but sometimes unisex in the West.

Chai has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Chai

Chai Hansen Actor · Born 1989 · Australia Chai Hansen is a Thai-Australian actor best known for playing Zac in Mako Mermaids, as well as Ilian in The 100 and Jordan Kyle in Shadowhunters. He was born Surachai Romruen on February 8, 1989.

Chai – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
BN Girls 0 #86 21 5,459
MY 0 #94 281 12,352
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
TW 0 #101 3 4,523
PH 0 #102 9 5,607
QA 0 #102 5 7,011
BN Boys 0 #106 28 6,332
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
MY Boys 0 #124 3,088 25,439
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
ID Boys 0 #134 2 4,130
MY Girls 0 #175 2,021 24,821
SG 0 #175 95 11,010
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
PS 0 #208 11 5,692
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
MO Boys 0 #214 10 5,842
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
MO Girls 0 #239 13 7,056
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
TW Boys 0 #248 9 7,111
JP Girls 0 #249 3 6,592
IL 0 #262 13 6,291
TW Girls 0 #265 12 8,139
SG Boys 0 #284 549 17,960
SG Girls 0 #289 338 18,916
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
QA Girls 0 #296 21 15,378
JP Boys 0 #297 7 7,909
CN Boys 0 #301 19 9,639
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
HK 0 #334 15 8,483
PH Girls 0 #334 57 13,098
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
CN Girls 0 #339 11 8,829
BR 0 #355 6 5,969
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
PH Boys 0 #374 10 11,440
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
HK Boys 0 #395 136 12,905
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
France Boys 2010 #408 6 2,828
OM Girls 0 #416 9 15,987
CL 0 #434 1 6,867
PT Girls 0 #471 1 7,952
ZA 0 #474 1 14,421
KW Girls 0 #479 37 19,177
MA 0 #485 1,036 20,986
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
CR Boys 0 #505 6 10,188
PS Boys 0 #505 44 10,655
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
AE Girls 0 #527 27 20,968
UY Girls 0 #535 2 6,731
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
IL Boys 0 #541 67 10,983
BH 0 #543 11 17,937
PS Girls 0 #543 5 10,981
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
HK Girls 0 #546 70 16,104
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
TN 0 #579 277 13,765
BD Boys 0 #603 3 10,045
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
IL Girls 0 #643 3 11,648
IN Girls 0 #648 7 13,121
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
IQ Boys 0 #695 3 13,071
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
QA Boys 0 #738 6 18,093
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
DZ 0 #797 398 20,130
KW Boys 0 #798 9 18,755
NG Girls 0 #825 2 15,093
SA Girls 0 #875 61 25,931
United States Boys 2024 #878 15 7,044
United States Girls 2024 #909 8 8,487
OM Boys 0 #913 6 17,948
BR Girls 0 #915 27 12,708
CL Girls 0 #915 1 14,098
EG Boys 0 #924 2 15,035
PE Boys 0 #926 1 14,506
NL Girls 0 #929 27 5,933
NG Boys 0 #941 11 16,906
NL Boys 0 #942 10 5,873
MX Boys 0 #959 24 16,355
Spain Girls 0 #974 10 5,561
CO Boys 0 #979 3 15,656
IN Boys 0 #991 11 16,750
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
AE Boys 0 #1,076 17 22,615
CO Girls 0 #1,152 1 16,140
ZA Girls 0 #1,229 8 25,928
TR 0 #1,252 3 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,265 3 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,265 8 25,619
IT Girls 0 #1,427 20 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,590 25 28,008

Chai is popular in 58 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
France
AE
AO
AR

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People also ask about Chai

Chai is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Chai is a one syllable name, pronounced English common: CHAI /tʃaɪ/,Hebrew: KHAI /χaɪ/ (חַי),Thai/Hindi: CHAI /tɕʰaj/ (often pronounced like 'jai').
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Chay, Chái, Chaiy, Chaiya, Chaya (related and feminine Hebrew form).
Across languages, Chai has these equivalents: Chaim (Hebrew, "life" — masculine), Chaya (Hebrew, "life" — feminine), Jai / Jaya (Sanskrit/Hindi, "victory"), Vijay (Sanskrit-derived, "victory").
Yes — Chai ranked #408 in France in 2010, and appears in official birth registries across 2 countries.
Chai ranks highest in France (#408 in 2010).
Yes — 1 notable people named Chai are in our database, including Chai Hansen (Actor).