Lakai is a modern American coinage that adds the prefix La- to Kai, the Hawaiian word for "sea", following the pattern of Makai and Jakai. It has no traditional meaning of its own. Lakai stood at number 3477 in 2015, moved between number 3200 and 4400 for a decade and reached number 2963 in 2025, its best rank to date, with 42 boys.