Onaona as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Onaona

What is the meaning of the name Onaona ?

The baby name Onaona is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced oh-NAH-oh-NAH.

Onaona is Polynesian in Origin.

Onaona is a Hawaiian given name drawn from the adjective ʻonaʻona, meaning “fragrant, sweet-scented; gentle, winsome; pleasantly intoxicating.” In poetry and song it evokes the lingering perfume of native flora such as maile and lehua, and by extension a tender, endearing character. The form uses reduplication, a common Hawaiian device that intensifies or prolongs the base sense, here suggesting a lasting softness and sweetness.

The term appears widely in 19th‑century mele and hula chants and in Hawaiian-language newspapers as a term of affection, and it has been used as a personal name since the late Kingdom era, with renewed popularity during the Hawaiian language and cultural renaissance. While most often feminine, it can be unisex. Variants and spellings include ʻOnaʻona (with ʻokina), Onaona (anglicized), and hyphenated Ona-ona; Ona may occur as a nickname, though it also exists independently in other languages.

⚙ Onaona is about as rare as a name gets. In all, it appears just 6 times, across 4 countries.