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Why Kai? Tiger Woods’ girlfriend Vanessa Trump shares the story behind her daughter’s name
She wanted her daughter’s name to carry family and meaning. Here’s why Tiger Woods’ girlfriend Vanessa Trump chose Kai for her child’s name—and it isn’t just a trendy moniker.
Vanessa Trump turned to Instagram and her daughter Kai’s YouTube channel on June 30 to reveal the deeply personal origin of her eldest child’s name. In a video filmed in their Jupiter, Florida kitchen, she explained how a beloved grandfather inspired both the choice and its meaning.
As the girlfriend of golf icon Tiger Woods—and former wife of Donald Trump Jr.—Vanessa’s family story now reaches beyond political empires and into the sporting world.
A name passed down and washed in ocean hues
“My grandfather's name was Kai, and I always loved the name,” Vanessa says in a 15-minute cooking video posted on Kai Trump’s YouTube channel, “He was like a father to me.” As she prepared hamburgers for the dinner cook-off against her daughter, she explained that the name ‘Kai’ had two ways it would work.
As the decision came before doctors revealed Kai’s gender, the name served to both honor her grandfather, jazz reedist Kai Ewans, as well as meant “ocean”—one of Vanessa’s favorite places to escape. She explains, “And Kai means ocean, and that's one of my favorite places to go. So we didn't know if it was a girl or a boy, but I said either way, it could go. My grandfather was a guy, obviously, and if it's a girl, I'd name her Kai.”
Vanessa Trump: From New York model to Tiger Woods’ Partner
Vanessa Trump first entered the public eye as a Wilhelmina model and then as Donald Trump Jr.’s wife from 2005 to 2018. After their divorce, she maintained a low profile—until late 2024, when she and Tiger Woods quietly began seeing each other.
The pair went Instagram official in March 2025, sharing affectionate photos and a message asking for privacy. According to People, they met through mutual friends in Palm Beach and got close over parenting. Vanessa’s daughter Kai and Tiger’s son Charlie now attend the same school and share golf tee times.
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