Shai means gift in Hebrew — the most beautiful single-syllable word for something precious. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the NBA's brightest stars. In Egyptian mythology, Shai was the god of fate and destiny. Four letters that carry Hebrew preciousness, NBA brilliance, and Egyptian destiny in the most compact package possible.
Shai means gift in Hebrew. In Egyptian mythology, Shai was the god of fate and destiny. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the NBA's brightest young stars. The name works for any gender.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Traditional Hebrew name; Egyptian mythology.
3
Today
Shai remains a beloved choice, ranking #1633 in the US. 4,047 babies have been named Shai since 1968.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Shai?
2023peak year
Today, Shai is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #1633), with only about 200 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 2023, 224 babies were given the name (ranked #981 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 2020s. Shai has been trending upward in recent years. In all, around 4,047 babies have been registered as Shai since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Shai's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — gifted nurturing. People named Shai tend to be precious, destined, and gifted at being exactly the gift someone needed.
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Exactly the gift needed
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Precious destiny
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NBA-level brightness
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Hebrew tenderness
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Egyptian fate
S1
H8
A1
I9
Sum: 19 → Life path 1
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Personality of Shai
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Independent & bold
These individuals chart their own course. They lead, they don't follow.
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Ambitious drive
Quiet determination sits behind everything they do.
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Original ideas
Their minds work differently — seeing angles others walk past.
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