Declining since 2004, #10,695 for boys today.
Popularity of Thai since 1975
Babies named Thai per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2000, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Thai's real moment was 1983.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 67 |
| 1980s | 36 | 274 |
| 1990s | 40 | 311 |
| 2000s | 82 | 366 |
| 2010s | 49 | 146 |
| 2020s | 5 | 50 |
Meaning & origin
The name Thai, first recorded in the United States in 1975, peaked in popularity in 1983. Since 2004, its usage has been steadily declining. In 2025, it ranked 10,695, with a rarity of 1 in 284,679 newborns. The name's origins are uncertain but are often linked to the Thai word for 'free' or 'peace', or to a Vietnamese name meaning 'from the West'. Its modest use in the 1980s saw it briefly emerge as a multicultural choice, but it has become less common in subsequent decades. No specific top states are recorded for this name, suggesting a broad but scattered distribution.
The name Thai is of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the Thai word 'ไทย' (Thai), meaning 'free' or 'peace', or it may be a Vietnamese name meaning 'from the West'. It has been used as a given name in the United States since the 1970s, possibly influenced by the country Thailand or as a variant of the Vietnamese name Thái. The name gained modest popularity in the 1980s.
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Thái, Thai
Sibling names for Thai
Names that share Thai's style, for a brother or sister.
