Kai vs Max
Kai and Maxcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Kai was ranked #23 and Max #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Kai was ranked #56 and Max #29 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Kai was ranked #69 and Max #30 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Kai was ranked #34 and Max #41 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Kai was ranked #72 and Max #44 among boys in England and Wales.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Kai was ranked #282 and Max #72 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Kai was ranked #4056 and Max #5687 among girls in England and Wales.
Kai and Max over time
Kai and Max appear together in 5 published lists, across 169 years of shared records. Max held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Kai in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Max reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Kai in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Kai moved ahead of Max in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #26 and #26 the year before became #20 and #23.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Kai and Max averaged 46.1 places apart, ending at #72 and #44.
- Longest-running competitions
Kai and Max were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 62 years, from 1946 to 2025, ending at #282 and #72.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Kai #30 in 2024, Max #27 in 2022.
List by list
Norway · Boys62 shared years, 1946–2025
Kai held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Max in 29.
Highest recorded here: Kai #57 in 1976, Max #60 in 2012.
The order changed in 1997: Max moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #245 and #305; by 1997 that had become #236 and #189.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Kai #282, Max #72.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Kai held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 29.
Highest recorded here: Kai #56 in 2003, Max #18 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Kai #72, Max #44.
Republic of Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2025
Kai held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Max in 26.
Highest recorded here: Kai #30 in 2024, Max #27 in 2022.
The order changed in 2024: Kai moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #37 and #31; by 2024 that had become #30 and #33.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Kai #34, Max #41.
Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1998–2024
Kai held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Max in 26.
Highest recorded here: Kai #52 in 2021, Max #22 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Kai #69, Max #30.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys23 shared years, 2002–2025
Kai held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Max in 19.
Highest recorded here: Kai #20 in 2023, Max #13 in 2014.
The order changed in 2023: Kai moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #26 and #26; by 2023 that had become #20 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Kai #23, Max #30.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Kai | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | A short form of Maximilian or Maxim, ultimately from Latin 'maximus' (greatest). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈmæks/ |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #23 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #30 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Max has a recorded origin (Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim); Kai does not have one recorded yet.
- Kai and Max both have 1 syllable.
- A meaning is recorded for Max; Kai doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Kai
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #76 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2002–2025
Highest recorded position: #20 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 2002–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Max
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #359 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1992–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2016 (recorded 1992–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys