Malakai is a phonetic spelling of Malachi, the Hebrew name of the last prophet of the Old Testament, which means "my messenger" or "my angel". The -kai ending also brings in the Hawaiian word for sea, which is part of its appeal in the United States. Malakai entered the US top 1000 in 2002 and has climbed from number 491 in 2015 to number 213 in 2025, its best rank ever, while Malachi is more popular still.