Malani
Malani was the 374th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 822 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 330th with 943 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 878 places. More babies were named Malani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it muh-LAH-nee /məˈlɑni/
- Rank in 2025
- #374 girls, up 120 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 822girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024943 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,117babies recorded
What does the name Malani mean?
Malani is a modern name with a Hawaiian look, used in the US mainly since the 2000s. It has no entry in Wiktionary or in Andrews' Hawaiian dictionary. It may have been formed on Hawaiian lani, "sky, heaven", like Kalani and Leilani, but no source consulted explains the first part, and meanings such as "calm heavens" seen online are not documented.
How sure is this? Not documented. No documented origin; possible but unproven Hawaiian elements.
Other explanations you may read: Hawaiian for 'calm heavens'.
Related names: Kalani, Melanie, Milani.
Sources for this meaning
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Lorrin Andrews, A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language, rev. H. H. Parker (1922), s.v. 'Lani', Board of Commissioners of Public Archives, Honolulu (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Malani
The usual nicknames for Malani are Lani. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Malani in the last five years, 13 were named Lani, against 533 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 Malanis go by each one.
Malani popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2022.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #374 | 822 |
| 2020 | #494 | 618 |
| 2010 | #2,603 | 70 |
| 2000 | #14,294 | 6 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Malani, counting every spelling?
Malani is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #388 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #374 for Malani on its own. Together these spellings went to 855 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malani | 822 | #374 | 4,175 |
| Malanie | 19 | #6,247 | 134 |
| Malanni | 14 | #7,737 | 59 |
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 Malani?
822 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Malani (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Malani 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Malani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Malani?
About 7,100 people born in the US named Malani are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 3 and 8. That makes Malani 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.
Malani by state
How common Malani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (4.2×), Louisiana (4.2×), South Carolina (3.2×), Georgia (2.8×), Alabama (2.4×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Malani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Malani, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Malani · Sibling names for Malani
Questions about the name Malani
How popular is the name Malani?
Malani was the 374th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 822 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 330th with 943 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 878 places. More babies were named Malani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Malani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Malani in the US.
Where is Malani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Malani was most common in Mississippi (2.16 per 1,000 girls), followed by Louisiana and South Carolina.