Imani as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Imani

What is the meaning of the name Imani ?

The baby name Imani is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced ih-MAH-nee (IPA: /ɪˈmɑni/).

Imani is Swahili in Origin.

Imani (ee-MAH-nee) is a Swahili given name meaning “faith,” taken from Arabic īmān (إيمان), “belief, trust.” In Swahili culture and across the African diaspora, it resonates as one of the seven Nguzo Saba of Kwanzaa - Imani, “faith” - symbolizing confidence in community, leaders, and oneself. The name is unisex worldwide but most common for girls in the United States and United Kingdom.

Use grew in African American communities from the 1970s onward amid renewed interest in African-rooted names, and it entered mainstream U.S. baby-name charts by the 1990s, maintaining steady popularity. Internationally, it appears in Muslim and Francophone contexts through related forms. Variants and spellings include Iman, Imaan, Imane, Eman, and Emani; short forms such as Mani are sometimes used. The name’s concise, uplifting meaning and cross-cultural familiarity give it a modern, pan-African appeal while remaining grounded in a long-standing religious and linguistic tradition.