Head to head · Boys' names
Adan vs Makai
#482 vs #481 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Makai is a whisker ahead (#481 vs #482 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Adan and Makai each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1900s: Adan #1205, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1910s: Adan #2057, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1920s: Adan #1319, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1930s: Adan #1038, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1940s: Adan #939, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1950s: Adan #989, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1960s: Adan #847, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1970s: Adan #689, Makai — — Adan higher
- 1980s: Adan #550, Makai #7905 — Adan higher
- 1990s: Adan #518, Makai #3765 — Adan higher
- 2000s: Adan #361, Makai #1115 — Adan higher
- 2010s: Adan #386, Makai #651 — Adan higher
- 2020s: Adan #470, Makai #520 — Adan higher
Adan stood higher in every recorded decade — 13 of 13.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Adan | Makai |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | #1205 | — |
| 1910s | #2057 | — |
| 1920s | #1319 | — |
| 1930s | #1038 | — |
| 1940s | #939 | — |
| 1950s | #989 | — |
| 1960s | #847 | — |
| 1970s | #689 | — |
| 1980s | #550 | #7905 |
| 1990s | #518 | #3765 |
| 2000s | #361 | #1115 |
| 2010s | #386 | #651 |
| 2020s | #470 | #520 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Adan
man, human — from Hebrew, tied to the word for earth or ground
The Hebrew adam means "man, human being" and plays on adamah, "ground, soil" — the wordplay is right there in the opening chapters of Genesis.
Adam (Hebrew) → Adam (Greek and Latin) → Adán (Spanish) → Adan
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Adam, the first human in Genesis, whose name echoes adamah, the ground. It traveled through Greek and Latin translations of the Bible into every Christian language of Europe, and through the Quran, where Adam is the first prophet, into the Muslim world.
Makai
toward the sea (Hawaiian)
Hawaiian ma, 'toward, at', with kai, 'sea, sea water'. The word itself is not in doubt — it is ordinary daily speech and appears on signs and in directions throughout Hawaiʻi. What the record does not show is which road any individual family took to it: the Hawaiian word, or simply the sound, which sits close to Micah and Mikael without descending from either.
kai (Hawaiian: sea) → makai (Hawaiian: toward the sea) → Makai (given name)
How it traveled
Makai begins not as a name but as a direction. Hawaiian orients itself by the island rather than the compass, so a house, a turn or a beach is described as makai — on the ocean side — while mauka points inland toward the mountains.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Adan
ah-DAHN
That is the Spanish stress, on the second syllable. In English-speaking settings many Adans answer to AY-dan, which sits close to the familiar Aiden. Both are in real use, so it is worth deciding early which one your family will say.
- Adancito — Spanish affectionate diminutive, used within families rather than in formal settings
- Dan — Informal English clipping; also stands alone as a given name in its own right
Makai
muh-KYE
Stress on the second syllable, which rhymes with 'eye'. In Hawaiian the first syllable is fuller — closer to mah-KYE. Expect occasional muh-KAY or MAK-eye from people reading it cold.
- Kai — The most natural short form, and a well-established given name in its own right for boys and girls; a Makai called Kai will meet others.
- Mak — Informal, family-and-teammates territory; also spelled Mac.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Adan if you want…
- a name holding steadyAdan is holding its place on the charts
Choose Makai if you want…
- a name on the way upup 68 places on the charts in five years
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Adan
Strengths
- Short, four letters, no silent letters — easy to write down the first time it is heard.
- Works in both Spanish and English without translation or adjustment, which matters in bilingual families.
- Belongs to one of the longest documented name lines in existence, shared by Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition.
To consider
- Two pronunciations circulate — ah-DAHN and AY-dan — so a mild correction may become a lifelong habit. Some families choose the accented Adán on the birth certificate to steer it.
- The accent itself is a decision. Adán is the standard Spanish spelling, but American forms, databases and airline tickets tend to strip diacritics anyway.
- Aiden, Aidan and Ayden are all widely known, so expect the occasional misspelling in that direction from people who have only heard the name spoken.
Makai
Strengths
- Two syllables, five letters, no silent letters — short enough that it never needs shortening.
- The meaning is exact and easy to state: toward the sea, in a language where the word is still in everyday use.
- Contains Kai, a short form people already know and can spell without help.
To consider
- The stress trips people up. Some will say muh-KAY or MAK-eye on first sight, and correcting it becomes a small lifelong habit.
- It is a Hawaiian word with a living, place-specific sense, and some Hawaiian speakers feel strongly about how it is used off-island. Worth knowing that going in, rather than being surprised by it later.
- Look-alike spellings — Makhai, McKai, Makaio — plus the closeness to Micah mean the name will often be spelled back at you wrong.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Adan and Makai in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Adan and Makai?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Adan and Makai each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Adan or Makai — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Adan or Makai?
- Makai, in 2025: Makai ranked #481 with 626 babies; Adan ranked #482 with 625 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Adan or Makai?
- Makai. Over the last five years Adan moved down 9 places; Makai moved up 68 places.
- Which is the older name, Adan or Makai?
- Adan entered the US charts in 1904; Makai entered the US charts in 1989. On the American record, Adan is the older name.
- How many people are named Adan and Makai?
- About 29,500 people named Adan are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 9,200 people named Makai are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Adans or Makais in the classroom?
- Adan will almost certainly be the only one in school. Makai will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Adan, Makai and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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