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Lani as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lani

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The baby name Lani is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAH-nee (IPA: /ˈlɑːni/).

Lani is Hawaiian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hawaiian
Pronunciation: LAH-nee (IPA: /ˈlɑːni/)

What is the meaning of the name Lani ?

The baby name Lani is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced LAH-nee (IPA: /ˈlɑːni/).

Lani is Hawaiian in Origin.

From Hawaiian lani, meaning “sky, heavens; heavenly, exalted, royal.” In traditional usage, lani named the celestial realm and was an honorific for high-ranking chiefs, so the given name conveys grace, spirituality, and nobility. Pronounced LAH-nee in Hawaiian (often LAY-nee in English), it occurs both on its own and as a building block in names like Leilani, Kalani, and Mililani.

Beyond Hawaii, Lani entered wider circulation in the mid-20th century, buoyed by fascination with Polynesian culture and the popularity of Hawaiian-themed music and film. It is most common as a feminine name in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, occasionally unisex. Diminutive and pet-name uses include short forms of Leilani, Alani, Delaney, and Melanie. Spelling variants and related forms include Lanie and Lannie; cognate-style relatives are Leilani, Kalani, and Alani. Core meaning remains tied to “heaven/sky” and an elevated, noble bearing.

Lani has the following similar or variant Names

Lani – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2025 #1 411
FJ 0 #5 2 374
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
ID 0 #37 3 2,238
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
AL 0 #72 5 2,372
PH 0 #78 19 5,607
ID Girls 0 #86 13 3,319
TW 0 #102 2 4,523
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
BN Girls 0 #107 8 5,459
BN Boys 0 #119 15 6,332
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
Switzerland Girls 2024 #122 14 1,786
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
IQ 0 #131 3 3,533
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
PR Girls 0 #166 2 3,171
Sweden Girls 2022 #177 3 1,568
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
AE 0 #183 5 10,220
AL Boys 0 #189 115 5,122
LU Girls 0 #189 2 4,850
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
Belgium Girls 2001 #195 18 420
SI Boys 0 #196 14 3,402
AL Girls 0 #219 9 4,141
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
BG Girls 0 #231 1 3,559
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
MO Girls 0 #235 17 7,056
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
GR Girls 0 #246 4 6,293
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
GR Boys 0 #249 19 6,912
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
NA Boys 0 #250 4 6,830
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
SG 0 #255 15 11,010
PH Girls 0 #264 128 13,098
QA Girls 0 #266 51 15,378
IL 0 #277 6 6,291
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
Canada Girls 2024 #280 6 2,795
TW Girls 0 #285 5 8,139
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
SA 0 #307 6 10,560
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
GH Girls 0 #334 4 6,973
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
MY 0 #349 6 12,352
CN Girls 0 #351 9 8,829
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
HK 0 #353 5 8,483
BR 0 #356 5 5,969
OM Girls 0 #357 40 15,987
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
KW Girls 0 #395 121 19,177
YE 0 #397 2 8,639
PH Boys 0 #404 5 11,440
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
France Girls 2011 #415 4 3,153
ZA 0 #423 25 14,421
Germany 0 #426 12 2,542
MX 0 #445 1 8,339
IQ Girls 0 #446 59 11,303
AE Girls 0 #464 90 20,968
PT Girls 0 #469 3 7,952
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
PS Girls 0 #508 16 10,981
PA Girls 0 #515 4 9,861
RU Girls 0 #519 5 11,913
BH 0 #524 30 17,937
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
SG Girls 0 #524 63 18,916
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
HK Girls 0 #543 73 16,104
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
CM Girls 0 #559 2 11,671
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
CR Girls 0 #568 6 11,342
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
IL Girls 0 #603 15 11,648
IL Boys 0 #621 5 10,983
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
IN Girls 0 #647 8 13,121
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IQ Boys 0 #656 12 13,071
LB 0 #685 6 13,263
Finland Girls 2026 #724 15 3,895
SA Girls 0 #734 202 25,931
SG Boys 0 #736 4 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
SY 0 #764 4 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
KW Boys 0 #800 7 18,755
United States Girls 2024 #813 104 8,487
Germany Girls 0 #813 26 4,949
NG Girls 0 #822 5 15,093
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
United States Boys 2023 #894 5 7,053
BR Girls 0 #903 39 12,708
CL Girls 0 #911 5 14,098
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
NL Girls 0 #931 25 5,933
PE Girls 0 #932 12 14,861
MY Girls 0 #942 53 24,821
Germany Boys 0 #943 10 5,697
Spain Girls 0 #964 20 5,561
CO Boys 0 #978 4 15,656
NG Boys 0 #998 4 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,007 3 14,742
MY Boys 0 #1,011 101 25,439
ZA Girls 0 #1,018 124 25,928
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
CO Girls 0 #1,063 16 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,098 81 25,619
MA 0 #1,118 11 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,142 2 22,615
DZ 0 #1,144 33 20,130
MX Girls 0 #1,156 28 17,781
TR 0 #1,249 6 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,356 91 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,381 91 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,598 17 28,008

Lani is popular in 76 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Switzerland
Flanders, Belgium
Sweden
Germany

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People also ask about Lani

Lani is predominantly a girl's name.
Lani is a 2 syllable name, pronounced LAH-nee (IPA: /ˈlɑːni/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Lāni, Laani and La'ani.
Yes, very popular — Lani ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Lani ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Lani's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #861 in 2014 to #813 in 2024 in United States.