Austin or Kai

[YourNavyScroller]

Name opinions please! I am 9 months pregnant and we have been set on the name Austin for our little boy for a few months. We even got a few personalised bits with the name on and told friends and family. We would be calling him ‘Aussie’ for short (which I love).
We decided to make a short list of 3 or so names just incase he didn’t look like an Austin when he was born and we are really liking the name Kai now also! We love that it means sea/ocean in Hawaii and goes nicely with our last name. The other name we like is Brody but we have just had a nephew called Beaudi so think it would be too similar. Which is nicer: Austin or Kai?

Kai is a legit/established name in Germany. I'm not a big fan, I'm also learning Greek and every time I see it now I think "and" because the word in Greek is και

I'm not keen on either, but Kai would be my choice. I like the suggestion of Keanu. The Keanu Reeves association may be inevitable, but he's a lovely person.

Austin is fab.. classic car and rugby fan here.

Kai is awful, chavvy, K name - ug! Austin is more distinguished and fits a child who could grow up to be a plumber or a surgeon, Kai, not so much

Not Kai. Not keen on Austin either but I prefer it to Kai.

Maybe it depends on where you live and the type of names used locally - Kai is fairly popular round here for boys / teens / younger adults. I don’t know any Austins of any age so it stands out more where I live.

Austin, I like surnames as first names, my ds has one. The Kai I know is awful and definitely falls in the naughty boy category.

What do you think of Koa? This is another K name from Hawaii I’ve heard!

I’m really suprised so many people have said this! I don’t know anyone called Kai so I assumed it was a more quirky/unique name but clearly I just don’t know a lot of children!😅

I love both those names

Although, tbf, if there’s a nephew named Beaudi, Kai goes really well with that whole vibe.

Austin...but that may be because I work with a Kai who is currently the bane of my life!

Austin isn't too bad, Aussie is dreadful though, that's just slang for an Australian so would make me think when he's older he got nicknamed that for that reason

I’m not keen on either, and they have very different vibes to me. I maybe would pick Kai at a push.

God I hate when MN think it’s ok to use the word chavvy. 🙄 as if you’re the epitome of class.

much prefer Kai

Kai's traditionally used for both boys and girls (most Hawaiian first names are unisex except ones that have gender-specific meanings like king, goddess, etc. or are cognates of gender-specific names from other languages). That has nothing to do with "gender confusion". Until recently it was noticeably more common for boys but that may be because it's also a boys' name in several European languages. I think Koa also still skews mostly male. Keone's another one you might like, similar to Keanu but less well known.

Kai is awful, chavvy, K name - ug! You sound nice.

Ignorant. It is if you're Hawaiian. Or is a name only a 'proper' name if it's a pretentious English one more appropriate for an 90 year old??

Neither.

How about Makai? It means 'towards the sea' in Hawaiian (from Google, I'm not Hawaiian). Way less common than Kai, but you still get the Kai nickname!

Bodhi (edit: just realised this would be said the same as Beaudi oops)

Jett

Finn

Hudson

Arlo

Mason

Zane

In a court of law, Kai would be the defendant.

I thought Austin was a surname,unaware of anyone using it as a first name

I think kai is better

Maybe for a misdemeanour, for a serious crime my money would be on an Arthur, Oliver or Hugo 🫠

Anything, just anything but Kai. Do not saddle your poor child with this.

@NeedZzzzzssss I said "to me" Kai isn't a proper name.

Obviously I'm not an expert on the ethnic origins of every name.

Clearly not 🤨 Maybe think before you talk (type) next time.