Pua-Nani as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pua-Nani

What is the meaning of the name Pua-Nani ?

The baby name Pua-Nani is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced POO-ah NAH-nee.

Pua-Nani is Hawaiian in Origin.

Pua-Nani is a modern hyphenated Hawaiian given name meaning “beautiful flower,” from pua (“flower”) + nani (“beautiful”). In Hawaiian orthography neither element takes a macron or glottal stop, so the hyphen is optional; forms appear as Pua-Nani, Puanani, or Pua Nani. Common pronunciation is POO-ah NAH-nee.

Attested in Hawaiian-language newspapers and church registers by the late 19th century, the compound saw steady use on the islands and rose again with the mid-20th-century Hawaiian cultural revival and post-statehood baby-name trends. It is typically feminine, with Pua or Nani used as affectionate nicknames. Related nature names include Leilani, Noelani, and Kapua. Outside Hawaiʻi it remains rare but recognizable within Pacific Islander communities. Variants include Puanani (most common) and spaced Pua Nani; forms with an ʻokina in Pua are nonstandard. The name evokes lei-making, island flora, and ideals of grace and natural beauty.

⚙ Pua-Nani is absent from every birth registry and name dataset we follow. Most often that means a rare name, a regional or heritage one, or a recent coinage. Either way, it remains a genuinely rare choice.