Kealii as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kealii

What is the meaning of the name Kealii ?

The baby name Kealii is a Unisex name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced keh-ah-LEE-ee (IPA: /ke.aˈli.i/).

Kealii is Hawaiian in Origin.

Kealii is a Hawaiian given name deriving from the phrase ke aliʻi, meaning “the chief,” “noble,” or “of high rank.” Morphologically, ke is the definite article “the,” and aliʻi denotes a ruler or person of chiefly lineage in traditional Hawaiian society. It is pronounced keh-ah-LEE-ee, with a glottal stop before the final -i; the most faithful spelling is Kealiʻi using the ʻokina, though undiacriticized Kealii is common in English contexts. While used for all genders in Hawaiian, it tends to be masculine in modern registries.

As a personal name, Kealii gained wider use with the Hawaiian cultural resurgence; a notable bearer is the singer and kumu hula Kealiʻi Reichel. Families may honor ancestral rank or island heritage by choosing Kealii as a first or middle name. Variants and orthographic forms include Kealiʻi, Keali'i, and the shortened Keali; longer traditional compounds also begin with Kealiʻi‑.