Hawaiian given names reflect the structure of the Hawaiian language. Syllables are simple CV, there are no consonant clusters or final consonants, and the consonant set is small (h, k, l, m, n, p, w and the glottal stop ‘okina). Long vowels are marked with the kahakō. Reduplication is common (Liliu, Kolohe). Many names are multiword phrases. Frequent elements include the articles Ka- and Ke- at the start, and components such as kai (sea), lei (garland), lani (sky/heaven), and koa (warrior); endings like -lani and -loa occur often.
Traditionally, names were coined as descriptive phrases tied to events, places, winds, or qualities, and most were not gender-specific. Family-based naming was common, including reuse of ancestral names. After the 19th century, Christian influence introduced biblical names and Hawaiianized forms (for example, Kimo for James, Keoni for John). Today there is active use of diacritics and a revival of Hawaiian-language names, alongside mixed English–Hawaiian naming and use of Hawaiian elements in middle names.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai | Cross-cultural name variously meaning 'sea' or 'ocean' (Hawaiian, Japanese), 'food' (Māori), and often 'victory' or 'open/beginning' in Chinese. | Chinese, Cornish, Hawaiian, Japanese, Scandinavian, Welsh | Unisex | 45,847 #1 | |
| Leilani | Heavenly garland ('lei' = garland of flowers, 'lani' = heaven/royal) | Hawaiian | Girl | 27,057 #2 | |
| Lana | Often 'light' (from Svetlana); in Arabic 'tender/soft'; in Hawaiian 'calm, serene'. | Arabic, Celtic, English, Hawaiian, Slavic | Girl | 14,388 #3 | |
| Malia | Hawaiian: "calm" or "peaceful"; also used as a form of Maria/Mary (historically associated with meanings like "beloved" or "bitter"). | Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Latin | Girl | 12,625 #4 | |
| Alani | Hawaiian: "orange" (the color or fruit); also used as a feminine name related to Alan/Alana | Hawaiian | Girl | 11,566 #5 | |
| Kaia | Commonly interpreted as "sea" (Hawaiian), also associated with "earth" (Gaia) or "pure" (as a form of Katherine). | Greek, Hawaiian, Scandinavian | Girl | 11,268 #6 | |
| Kailani | Sea and sky | Hawaiian | Girl | 8,747 #7 | |
| Milani | Varies by origin - commonly 'from Milan' (Italian); also rendered in some sources as 'gentle/cheerful' (Hawaiian) or 'union/meeting' (Sanskrit/Hindi). | Hawaiian, Hindi, Italian, Sanskrit | Girl | 8,505 #8 | |
| Kane | Irish: from Ó Catháin / Cathán (from cath 'battle') - 'little battle' or 'warrior'; Hebrew: variant of Cain (Qayin) - 'acquired'; Hawaiian: Kāne - 'man' or a major god; Japanese: kane - 'metal, gold, money'. | Gaelic, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Irish, Japanese | Boy | 8,268 #9 | |
| Kaylani | From 'Kay' + Hawaiian 'lani' (heaven/sky) - commonly interpreted as 'heavenly' or 'heavenly sea' | English, Hawaiian | Girl | 8,183 #10 | |
| Kalani | From Hawaiian ka ('the') + lani ('heaven, sky, royal'): 'the heavens' or 'the royal one'. | Hawaiian | Unisex | 6,940 #11 | |
| Koa | Warrior; also the native Hawaiian hardwood tree (Acacia koa) | Hawaiian | Boy | 5,848 #12 | |
| Makai | Toward the sea / by the sea | Hawaiian | Boy | 4,727 #13 | |
| Nalani | The heavens; calm skies | Hawaiian | Girl | 4,115 #14 | |
| Kiana | Varies by origin - commonly "divine/heavenly" (Hawaiian/Diana), "dark-haired" (from Irish Ciara), or relating to "kingdom/realm" or "elements of life" (Persian). | Hawaiian, Irish, Persian | Girl | 3,187 #15 | |
| Keilani | Often interpreted as 'heavenly' or 'royal one' (from lani = sky/heaven); sometimes associated with 'sea and sky' when linked to Kailani. | Hawaiian | Girl | 3,003 #16 | |
| Lino | Flax, linen (associated with Linus) | Hawaiian, Italian, Polynesian, Portuguese, Spanish | Boy | 2,843 #17 | |
| Kaiya | Often interpreted as 'sea' (from Hawaiian kai) or as a variant of Kaia meaning 'pure'; meanings vary by origin. | Hawaiian, Japanese | Girl | 2,647 #18 | |
| Malayah | Often interpreted as "free" (from Tagalog malaya); also used as a melodic variant of Malia/Maliyah. | Arabic, English, Filipino, Hawaiian, Tagalog | Girl | 2,415 #19 | |
| Kalia | Meanings vary by origin: Hawaiian associations with brightness/clarity or joy; in South Asian contexts linked to Kali/'black' or related forms; also used as an English modern/phonetic variant of Callie/Kali. | English, Hawaiian, Indian, Sanskrit | Girl | 1,710 #20 | |
| Leylani | 'heavenly garland' - lei (garland) + lani (heaven/royal) | Hawaiian | Girl | 1,619 #21 | |
| Kalea | Bright, clear; joyful | Hawaiian | Girl | 1,418 #22 | |
| Elani | Varies by origin - commonly interpreted as "heavenly/royal" (Hawaiian lani) or related to Hebrew Ilana "tree"; also used as a modern variant of Eliana ("My God has answered") or Elena ("light"). | Hawaiian, Hebrew | Girl | 1,390 #23 | |
| Makena | The happy one; joyful | Gaelic, Hawaiian, Irish | Girl | 1,311 #24 | |
| Kailany | From Hawaiian kai 'sea' + lani 'heaven/sky' - 'sea and sky' or 'heavenly sea'. | Hawaiian | Girl | 1,249 #25 | |
| Kianna | Generally taken to mean 'ancient' or 'enduring' (from Gaelic Cian); also associated with 'divine' as a Hawaiian form of Diana and linked to Persian Kian meaning 'king' or 'realm'. | Hawaiian, Irish, Persian | Girl | 1,088 #26 | |
| Kaleo | "The voice" (literally ka = "the" + leo = "voice/sound") | Hawaiian | Boy | 1,074 #27 | |
| Noelani | Heavenly mist (from Hawaiian noe 'mist' + lani 'heaven') | Hawaiian | Girl | 1,061 #28 | |
| Keoni | God is gracious | Hawaiian | Boy | 1,031 #29 | |
| Koah | Hebrew: "strength, power" (from koach/ko'ach); Hawaiian: related to Koa - "warrior, brave" and the koa tree | Hawaiian, Hebrew | Unisex | 994 #30 | |
| Maliya | Variant of Malia/Maria; often linked to Hebrew Miryam meaning "bitter" or interpreted as "beloved"; similar-sounding Arabic names connote "beautiful". | Arabic, Hawaiian, Hebrew | Girl | 972 #31 | |
| Manoa | From Mānoa Valley (Oʻahu); 'wide', 'vast', or 'abundant' - associated with a lush valley | Hawaiian | Unisex | 858 #32 | |
| Kaelani | Heavenly sea / sea and sky | Hawaiian | Girl | 825 #33 | |
| Lani | Heaven, sky; heavenly or royal | Hawaiian | Girl | 795 #34 | |
| Makoa | Brave; fearless; bold | Hawaiian | Boy | 774 #35 | |
| Makaio | Gift of God | Hawaiian | Boy | 695 #36 | |
| Alakai | Leader; guide | Hawaiian | Unisex | 615 #37 | |
| Alanni | Likely from Hawaiian ʻalani meaning 'orange (tree/fruit)' or a modern feminine variant of Alana/Alanna meaning 'precious/child'; generally evokes warmth/brightness. | English, Gaelic, Hawaiian, Irish | Girl | 600 #38 | |
| Aulani | Chief's messenger; 'au' (messenger) + 'lani' (heaven/royalty) | Hawaiian | Girl | 596 #39 | |
| Mahina | Moon; moonlight; month | Hawaiian | Girl | 567 #40 | |
| Ohana | Family; extended family and the bonds of kinship | Hawaiian | Unisex | 563 #41 | |
| Kekoa | The brave; the warrior | Hawaiian | Boy | 562 #42 | |
| Maila | Multiple origins: in Hawaiian related to the maile vine ('fragrant vine'); in Finnish the word means 'bat' or 'racket' and is used as a feminine name; also treated as a variant of names like Maija/Maja. | Estonian, Finnish, Hawaiian, Scandinavian | Girl | 530 #43 | |
| Lilo | In Hawaiian, from the verb 'lilo' meaning 'to become; to receive; to obtain'. As a German diminutive of Lieselotte/Elisabeth it reflects Elizabeth's meaning 'pledged to God.' | Hawaiian | Girl | 527 #44 | |
| Halia | Hawaiian: 'remembrance' or 'remembrance of a loved one'. Greek: from Halie, 'of the sea' or 'sea-related'. | Greek, Hawaiian | Girl | 449 #45 | |
| Kaimana | “power of the ocean” (kai = sea, mana = power); also used to mean “diamond” as a Hawaiian loanword | Hawaiian | Unisex | 443 #46 | |
| Lanna | Depends on origin: Arabic 'soft, tender'; Hawaiian 'calm, afloat'; English usage as a form of Lana/Alana (variously linked to 'light' or 'child/precious'); Thai 'Lanna' refers to 'a million rice fields' (name of a historical kingdom). | Arabic, English, Hawaiian, Thai | Girl | 435 #47 | |
| Anela | Angel | Hawaiian | Girl | 423 #48 | |
| Alany | Possibly 'orange' (Hawaiian) or a variant of Alan meaning 'little rock'/'handsome'. | Breton, Celtic, Hawaiian | Unisex | 422 #49 | |
| Ilani | Hebrew: "tree/trees"; Hawaiian: "heavenly, royal/sky" | Hawaiian, Hebrew, Polynesian | Girl | 414 #50 |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Hawaiian-origin name in our dataset.
