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Sani as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Sani

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The baby name Sani is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced SAH-nee (IPA: /ˈsɑːni/ or /ˈsæni/).

Sani is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: SAH-nee (IPA: /ˈsɑːni/ or /ˈsæni/)

What is the meaning of the name Sani ?

The baby name Sani is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced SAH-nee (IPA: /ˈsɑːni/ or /ˈsæni/).

Sani is Arabic in Origin.

Sani is a cross-cultural given name with several distinct roots. In Hausa across West Africa, it comes from Arabic thānī “second,” traditionally given to a second-born son; this usage spread with Islam and remains common in Nigeria and Niger. In broader Arabic-Persian naming, Sani may reflect saniyy “exalted, splendid,” yielding an elevated sense of “noble” or “distinguished.” In Diné (Navajo), Sání means “old, venerable,” seen in honorific compounds like Hastiin Sání (“Old Man”), and as a given name it conveys respect for elders. In South Asia, Sani can be a phonetic variant of Shani, the deity Saturn and ruler of Saturday.

Variants and related forms include Thani/Thanee, Saniy, Sany; feminine Saniya/Saniyah/Sania; Turkish Saniye; and Indic Shani. Usage spans male, female, and unisex contexts depending on culture. The name’s meanings cluster around “second-born,” “exalted,” and “venerable/elder,” with spellings reflecting local phonology and scripts.

Sani has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Sani

Sani Abacha Politician · Born 1943 · Nigeria Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military ruler best known for serving as Nigeria’s head of state from 1993 until his death in 1998 after taking power in a coup. He remains one of the most prominent and controversial figures in Nigerian political history.

Sani – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2024 #1 — 820
ET 0 #6 1 246
NG Boys 0 #21 16,067 16,906
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
GE 0 #44 1 997
CM 0 #54 3 2,592
IN 0 #70 2 2,963
SI 0 #80 1 1,612
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
NG 0 #86 211 5,926
AF Girls 0 #90 5 2,402
ID Girls 0 #97 6 3,319
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
GE Boys 0 #107 4 2,055
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
BN Girls 0 #111 4 5,459
BN Boys 0 #112 22 6,332
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
AZ Boys 0 #128 4 1,400
IQ 0 #130 4 3,533
ID Boys 0 #133 3 4,130
GR 0 #134 2 3,911
RS Girls 0 #136 2 1,651
LY 0 #140 713 12,703
RS Boys 0 #148 7 2,277
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
HU Boys 0 #172 3 3,954
SI Girls 0 #174 4 2,769
HR 0 #177 5 2,081
MT Boys 0 #177 3 4,064
AE 0 #184 4 10,220
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
Sweden Boys 2016 #190 3 1,526
BD 0 #194 34 5,992
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
GH 0 #205 39 5,396
SI Boys 0 #205 7 3,402
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
AO Girls 0 #211 7 4,575
BG Girls 0 #211 13 3,559
BG Boys 0 #214 7 3,850
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
GH Boys 0 #224 131 8,138
AL Girls 0 #225 3 4,141
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
IR 0 #226 6 4,221
HR Boys 0 #235 24 3,997
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
AO Boys 0 #248 2 5,568
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
GR Boys 0 #252 16 6,912
TW Girls 0 #252 25 8,139
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
QA Girls 0 #269 48 15,378
AF Boys 0 #271 4 3,535
HR Girls 0 #275 15 3,687
IL 0 #276 7 6,291
JM Girls 0 #276 3 7,507
SG 0 #276 7 11,010
CM Boys 0 #279 358 12,054
JM Boys 0 #290 4 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
AL Boys 0 #295 9 5,122
Finland 0 #296 12 830
MY 0 #297 34 12,352
JP Boys 0 #299 5 7,909
KZ Girls 0 #300 21 5,862
Finland Girls 0 #302 92 1,368
SA 0 #304 9 10,560
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
GH Girls 0 #308 17 6,973
CN Boys 0 #326 6 9,639
DK Boys 0 #327 6 7,401
DK Girls 0 #329 1 7,429
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
JO Girls 0 #336 4 7,570
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
BD Girls 0 #340 47 8,413
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
OM Girls 0 #341 56 15,987
NG Girls 0 #342 685 15,093
SD Girls 0 #350 9 7,678
MY Boys 0 #355 1,211 25,439
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
CN Girls 0 #358 2 8,829
MU Girls 0 #360 3 8,539
PL Girls 0 #362 3 5,096
MU Boys 0 #367 3 8,477
SD Boys 0 #372 74 10,523
PH Boys 0 #374 10 11,440
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
Austria Girls 0 #380 41 1,885
BD Boys 0 #382 210 10,045
JO Boys 0 #382 8 7,057
France Boys 2021 #385 3 2,865
YE 0 #394 5 8,639
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
Finland Boys 0 #411 17 2,041
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
Austria Boys 0 #417 26 2,180
Finland Girls 2026 #434 454 3,895
KW Girls 0 #435 81 19,177
AE Girls 0 #437 117 20,968
IR Girls 0 #439 92 8,334
PT Girls 0 #467 5 7,952
SG Boys 0 #468 236 17,960
RU Boys 0 #469 37 12,621
ZA 0 #472 3 14,421
RU Girls 0 #479 20 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #483 22 11,303
BH 0 #487 67 17,937
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
CM Girls 0 #507 34 11,671
CR Boys 0 #507 4 10,188
PS Girls 0 #514 10 10,981
IR Boys 0 #515 38 10,162
IN Boys 0 #517 570 16,750
PS Boys 0 #524 25 10,655
UY Girls 0 #531 6 6,731
HK Boys 0 #551 7 12,905
SG Girls 0 #552 35 18,916
IN Girls 0 #558 74 13,121
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
IL Boys 0 #578 30 10,983
QA Boys 0 #580 128 18,093
HK Girls 0 #590 26 16,104
IL Girls 0 #599 19 11,648
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
KW Boys 0 #640 130 18,755
IQ Boys 0 #641 27 13,071
LB 0 #642 17 13,263
BO Girls 0 #648 4 9,488
Finland Boys 2026 #658 25 3,552
SA Girls 0 #674 262 25,931
OM Boys 0 #680 202 17,948
CL Boys 0 #699 2 13,390
IT 0 #704 11 4,183
SA Boys 0 #730 1,281 28,008
Germany Girls 0 #733 106 4,949
SY 0 #759 9 11,684
AE Boys 0 #769 333 22,615
BR Boys 0 #780 6 12,213
TN 0 #808 22 13,765
EG Boys 0 #854 33 15,035
MY Girls 0 #859 136 24,821
PE Boys 0 #868 11 14,506
TR 0 #878 358 19,440
United States Boys 2024 #879 14 7,044
DZ 0 #888 290 20,130
Germany Boys 0 #890 63 5,697
Spain Boys 0 #902 29 5,610
United States Girls 2024 #907 10 8,487
CL Girls 0 #911 5 14,098
BR Girls 0 #920 22 12,708
PE Girls 0 #926 18 14,861
NL Boys 0 #928 24 5,873
NL Girls 0 #943 13 5,933
MA 0 #950 179 20,986
Spain Girls 0 #954 30 5,561
MX Boys 0 #973 10 16,355
CO Boys 0 #976 6 15,656
EG Girls 0 #1,002 8 14,742
CO Girls 0 #1,067 12 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,068 111 25,619
ZA Girls 0 #1,106 36 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,166 18 17,781
IT Boys 0 #1,330 142 10,046
IT Girls 0 #1,393 54 9,415

Sani is popular in 83 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
France
Sweden
Ireland
AE

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Sani

Sani is predominantly a boy's name.
Sani is a 2 syllable name, pronounced SAH-nee (IPA: /ˈsɑːni/ or /ˈsæni/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Thani, Saani, Sanee and Saniyu.
Across languages, Sani has these equivalents: Thani (Arabic), Second (literal English equivalent).
Yes, very popular — Sani ranked #1 in Ireland in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 5 countries.
Sani ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2024).
Sani's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #881 in 2015 to #879 in 2024 in United States.
Yes — 1 notable people named Sani are in our database, including Sani Abacha (Politician).