The baby name Kawhi is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /kəˈwaɪ/ (kuh-WY).
The baby name Kawhi is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /kəˈwaɪ/ (kuh-WY).
Kawhi is in Origin.
Kawhi is a modern American male given name, pronounced kah-WHY. Its etymology is unclear and it is generally regarded as a contemporary coinage rather than a traditional form. The name entered wider public awareness through NBA star Kawhi Leonard (born 1991), spurring a modest rise in U.S. usage from the mid-2010s onward. Because it is recent, no widely accepted, fixed meaning is attached.
Phonetically, the wh digraph suggests Māori orthography, and the ka- opening echoes patterns common in Polynesian languages; however, Hawaiian does not employ wh, and Kawhi itself is not attested in those naming traditions. Similar-looking names include Hawaiian Kawai (“water”) and Kauhi, and the Māori place-name Kāwhia, but these are etymologically distinct rather than true variants. Kawhi has no established traditional variants; occasional phonetic spellings like Kawhy appear informally. Nicknames sometimes used are Khi or Kay, and contemporary usage skews masculine.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Boys | 2020 | #317 | 6 | 2,548 |
| CN | Boys | 0 | #330 | 2 | 9,639 |
| PH | Boys | 0 | #406 | 3 | 11,440 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #526 | 1 | 12,621 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #554 | 4 | 12,905 |
| BH | 0 | #587 | 1 | 17,937 | |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #739 | 1 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| United States | Boys | 2024 | #878 | 15 | 7,044 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #918 | 1 | 17,948 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,182 | 1 | 25,439 |
| DZ | 0 | #1,234 | 1 | 20,130 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,251 | 4 | 19,440 | |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,686 | 6 | 28,008 |
Kawhi is popular in 14 countries — most recent births per country:
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