Nakai is a Navajo name and surname, from Naakaii, the Navajo word for Mexicans or Spaniards, which literally means "those who wander about", and so is usually glossed as "wanderer"; it is also a Japanese surname meaning "middle well". The Navajo-Ute flutist R. Carlos Nakai is its best-known American bearer. Nakai ranked number 9926 in the United States in 2000 and has risen slowly since, reaching number 2275 among boys in 2025, its highest rank to date.