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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Kai/ Kay

37 replies

Thaleia · 01/01/2012 14:49

Hi,

We like to name Kai/ Kay for our little boy. The "normal" spelling back home would be Kai, although Kay is possible too. Wiki tells me that Kai is Latin whilst Kay is Russian.

Would Kai (+ DH name as a middle name) work in the UK?

OP posts:

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Original poster

Thaleia · 03/01/2012 13:52

Martin, Philipp, Mark and Dominic are already taken within the close family .... and these names are out, too:

Ben
Leon
Lucas / Lukas
Finn / Fynn
Jonas
Maximilian
Luis / Louis
Paul
Felix
Luca / Luka
Noah
Tim / Timm
Elias
Max
Julian

as they are "everybody's" name in 2011

OP posts:

rushofbloodtothefeet · 03/01/2012 11:59

Yahs apparently

suntansue · 03/01/2012 11:57

In my sons class their is a little boy with the spelling Cai.

3boysgirlontheway · 03/01/2012 11:56

One of the members of Westlife recently called his son Koa, is that an option?

usualsuspect · 03/01/2012 11:49

I've always wondered what the opposite to chavvy is ,so I can post it on some of the baby name threads on MN

rushofbloodtothefeet · 03/01/2012 11:43

I think Martin fits the bill

Original poster

Thaleia · 03/01/2012 11:39

Well, thought about Cayden or Kaiden but can't bring myself to like it.

I'm not overly worried about the chavvy aspect usualsuspect, I read the birth announcements in the Times and almost every time I'm horrified by some of them. I don't know what the opposite of chavvy is but some parents really nail it

I would like a nice, international name which works - or is at least known - in Europe AND it not in the top 20-50 of any name statistics. When I went to school we had 3 Michael, 3 Markus, 2 Christina and 2 Melanie, how boring is that?!

As for Arthur - sounds horrible in our language, a real no-no ...

OP posts:

seeker · 03/01/2012 10:32

What about Kier?

usualsuspect · 03/01/2012 10:25

Only idiots think that some names are chavvy so don't worry about that aspect

CecilyP · 03/01/2012 10:06

No, the chavvy aspect pre-dates Wayne Rooney. OP, if you do choose it, people reading it will pronounce it to rhyme with sky until you tell them otherwise. If you tell them the name, some will go with your pronunciation while others will try to anglicise it.

Original poster

Thaleia · 03/01/2012 09:53

So much trouble for such a short name

Not sure how we would pronounce it in English to be honest nooka, in our Nordic languages it sounds like K'eye . But would the native speakers say it this way too?

I'm not worried about the potential chavvy aspect as we're foreigners and people give you a bit more leeway.

DH and my name are very different pronounced in English as well. To give an example, two names which don't work back home are George and Eugene.

OP posts:

usualsuspect · 02/01/2012 18:11

Its a good job wayne rooney didn't call his son arthur then or half of mn would have a ds with a chav name

3boysgirlontheway · 02/01/2012 15:53

As soon as Wayne Rooney bestowed Kai upon his son he ruined what used to be a beautiful name for everyone.

Kay as we know it is generally short for Catherine or Kathleen.

lisaro · 02/01/2012 15:48

As above for the pronunciations.
I have heard 'Kai' screeched in public a couple of times. Maybe that will give you an idea of the popularity of the name. Oh, and it seems obligatory that they have an earring and mullet at the age of 2.

edam · 02/01/2012 11:25

Kay (to rhyme with say) is usually a girl's name these days, but traditionally was for boys (Kaye was the feminine spelling). I am very fond of it from reading The Once And Future King, Box of Delights and the Snow Queen but everyone's right, people will think it's a girl's name.

guinealady · 02/01/2012 11:24

I know a baby who's just been named Kai and his parents have mixed backgrounds including Scandanavian.

I think they were reassured once they'd read up on it and realised the name had a much longer heritage than Daniella Westbrook choosing it (so the story goes) from the clothes shop Kookai, and actually occurs in lots of different cultures/languages.

It's not a name I'd ever choose myself but am pleased they stuck to what they wanted despite GPs having doubts.

LunaticFringe · 02/01/2012 11:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoFreshNSoClean · 02/01/2012 11:06

Kay is a lovely boy's name. Makes me think of the Box of Delights.

Kai is usually pronounced Kye here, isnt it? Its not a name I like, sorry.

MummyPigandDaddyPig · 02/01/2012 10:57

The scandinavian spelling of Kai is KAJ, if that helps. Its def a boys name spelled that way.

usualsuspect · 01/01/2012 21:39

by*

usualsuspect · 01/01/2012 21:39

Not my me I might add , I hate all the snobby snide chavvy posts on baby names

Pocksrule · 01/01/2012 21:34

Well you need to meet the ones I know then

usualsuspect · 01/01/2012 20:50

Any name other than Wilfred or Gladys is thought chavvy on MN tbh

CecilyP · 01/01/2012 20:49

Sadly for me, the people I know with children called Kai, have blown any ideas of beautiful Hawaiian waves, completely away.

Pocksrule · 01/01/2012 20:26

Lovely when names are pronounced chavvy. Glad snobbery is still alive and kicking in elitist England

It happens to be an international name with many beautiful meanings. It is also Hawaiian for wave

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