Kaylani
Kaylani was the 185th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,675 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 869 places. More babies were named Kaylani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning sea and sky (variant of Kailani) · Hawaiian
Say it ky-LAH-nee /kaɪˈlɑni/
- Rank in 2025
- #185 girls, up 156 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,675girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,675 babies
- Total since 1880
- 11,877babies recorded
What does the name Kaylani mean?
Kaylani is an American spelling of Kailani, which Wiktionary derives from Hawaiian kai, 'sea', and lani, 'sky, heaven'. Both words are well documented in Hawaiian; Wiktionary's Hawaiian entry for kai cites the standard Pukui and Elbert dictionary. The spelling with -y- follows the pattern of names like Kaylee and Kayla. Wikipedia has no entry for the given name, while Wiktionary records Kailani as a girl's name from Hawaiian.
kai (Hawaiian, “sea”)lani (Hawaiian, “sky, heaven”)
How sure is this? Probable. Hawaiian elements are clear; the name itself is a modern American form.
Related names: Kailani, Leilani, Kehlani, Lani.
See also: Hawaiian names, names that mean water, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kailani', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'kai', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'lani', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Kaylani
The usual nicknames for Kaylani are Lani. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Kaylani in the last five years, 8 were named Lani, against 207 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lani · also for Naylani, Leylani, Leilani | Modern | #1,603 | 522 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Kaylanis go by each one.
Kaylani popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #185 | 1,675 |
| 2020 | #341 | 912 |
| 2010 | #1,433 | 160 |
| 2000 | #4,029 | 31 |
| 1990 | #8,835 | 9 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaylani, counting every spelling?
Kaylani is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #59 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #185 for Kaylani on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,327 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaylani | 1,675 | #185 | 6,578 |
| Kailani | 1,215 | #253 | 6,168 |
| Keilani | 383 | #727 | 2,096 |
| Kailany | 511 | #581 | 1,404 |
| Keilany | 191 | #1,198 | 722 |
| Kaelani | 110 | #1,824 | 550 |
| Kaylanie | 52 | #3,121 | 295 |
| Kaylanni | 29 | #4,702 | 180 |
| Caylani | 27 | #4,899 | 131 |
| Cailani | 24 | #5,273 | 105 |
| Kaylany | 26 | #5,038 | 92 |
| Kailanni | 10 | #9,761 | 60 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kaylani?
1,675 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaylani (0.46 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaylani born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaylani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaylani?
About 11,800 people born in the US named Kaylani are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 2 and 9. That makes Kaylani a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kaylani by state
How common Kaylani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (3.1×), New Mexico (2.5×), Mississippi (1.9×), Connecticut (1.8×), Nevada (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Idaho, District of Columbia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaylani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaylani, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kaylani · Sibling names for Kaylani
Questions about the name Kaylani
What does Kaylani mean?
Kaylani means “sea and sky (variant of Kailani)” (Hawaiian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kaylani?
Kaylani was the 185th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,675 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 869 places. More babies were named Kaylani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Kaylani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaylani in the US.
Where is Kaylani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaylani was most common in Rhode Island (2.56 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Mississippi.