Kahiau as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kahiau

What is the meaning of the name Kahiau ?

The baby name Kahiau is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced ka-HEE-ow.

Kahiau is Hawaiian in Origin.

Kahiau is a Hawaiian unisex given name drawn from the word Kāhiau, which means “to give generously, lavishly, without expecting anything in return” - selfless generosity or giving from the heart. In Hawaiian practice, names often encode virtues and hopes; Kahiau embodies the communal ethic of kōkua and aloha. The diacritic form Kāhiau marks the long initial vowel; in everyday English usage it is commonly written without macrons as Kahiau.

As a personal name, Kahiau appears in traditional naming as a virtue term and has seen renewed favor since the late-20th-century Hawaiian cultural renaissance, remaining uncommon but familiar in the Islands for all genders. Variants and related forms include the fully marked Kāhiau, the anglicized Kahiau, and occasional extended compounds such as Kahiauokalani (“heavenly generosity”) in family-created names; short forms like Hiau may be used informally. Overall, the name conveys openhandedness, benevolence, and a spirit of unreciprocated giving.