Rakai is a modern American name that pairs the Ra- beginning of names like Rashad with Kai, the Hawaiian word for "sea"; the name also exists as a place name in Uganda and as a Maori word, but as a US given name it has no fixed traditional meaning. It fits the recent appetite for short -kai names like Makai and Nakai. Rakai was first recorded in 2017 at number 9493 and has risen quickly since, reaching number 2279 in 2025, its best position so far.