The Cai surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,457 people carried this name — #4,191 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,800 people counted. That is up 97% from 4,286 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Cai surname

Borrowed from Mandarin 蔡 (cài).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cai» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 566 people named Cai live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 282
City of Buenos Aires 141
Santa Fe 94
Córdoba 31
San Juan 18

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

156 people named Cai live in Switzerland.

They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 55
Vaud 33
Geneva 20
Aargau 10
Fribourg 6
Basel-Landschaft 5
Ticino 5
Obwalden 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 62 people named Cai live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Antwerp 15
Flemish Brabant 14
Hainaut 13
West Flanders 8
East Flanders 6
Namur 6

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 47 people named Cai.

Most of them — 37 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Alpes-Maritimes.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 37
Alpes-Maritimes 3
Meurthe-et-Moselle 3
Paris 2
Maine-et-Loire 1
French Guiana 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

205 people named Cai is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 205

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Cai in American newspapers,
1889.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Cai
The Portland Daily Press 1889-11-25
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Cai
Daily Kennebec Journal 1889-11-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Cai in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

11,375 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cai. The most, 1,967, date from the 1900s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,100
Victoria 2,878
Queensland 2,004
South Australia 1,174
Western Australia 722
Tasmania 432
ACT (Canberra) 37
Northern Territory 8

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cai.

Who carried it

People named Cai,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Cai Yang
    Cai Yang d. 201 · soldier
  • Enzo Cai
    Enzo Cai d. 1944 · partisan
  • Cai Yuanfang d. 1770 · writer
  • Cai Ting d. 1743 · politician
  • Cai Mao d. 208 · military officer
  • Cai Shiying d. 1675 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cai,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States10 records

10 records of the Cai name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 6
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Domenico Cai

    Arrived at New York in 1905 aboard the Neckar from Naples, aged 25; farmer. From Giovinazzo, Bari, Italy.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clau E. L. Cai

    Born 1918 in Alabama. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McClellan; clerk from Jefferson County.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Roberto Cai

    Arrived at New York in 1883 aboard the Chateau Leoville from Bordeaux, aged 30; cook. From Italy; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Cai in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

France11 records

11 records of the Cai name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Yu Cai

    Born 1968 in China; died 1991 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emma Marie Cai

    Born 1913 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes); died 1997 in Toulon (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Linxing Cai

    Born 1956 in China; died 1999 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Cai in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia2 records

2 records of the Cai name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record D. Cai

    Australian Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Cai in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Cai name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Johan Castro Cai

    Buried in 1625 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Cai in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Cai name in Canada War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record J. Cai

    British Columbia Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Cai name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Cai

    Lance Corporal, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cai.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cai is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Cai volume
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