Meilani
Meilani was the 591st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 498 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 356 places. More babies were named Meilani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning modern coinage; 'heavenly May' (suggested) · American English, Hawaiian
Say it may-LAH-nee /meɪˈlɑni/
- Rank in 2025
- #591 girls, up 298 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 498girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025498 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,971babies recorded
What does the name Meilani mean?
Meilani is a modern American name made to rhyme with Leilani. Wiktionary notes that it can be read as Hawaiian Mei 'May' (the month) plus lani 'sky, heaven, heavenly', giving something like 'heavenly May', but that is an interpretation of a coined name rather than a traditional Hawaiian name with a recorded meaning. Name sites often give other meanings built from Chinese mei 'beautiful'; we found no documentation for those. It first appears in US records in the 1980s.
lani (Hawaiian, “sky, heaven; heavenly”)Mei (Hawaiian, “May (month)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. A modern coinage; the Hawaiian reading is an after-the-fact interpretation.
Other explanations you may read: From Chinese mei 'beautiful' + Hawaiian lani 'heaven'.
Related names: Leilani, Mylani.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Meilani', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'lani' (Hawaiian section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Meilani
The usual nicknames for Meilani are Lani. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Meilani in the last five years, 31 were named Lani, against 589 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 Meilanis go by each one.
Meilani popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #591 | 498 |
| 2020 | #889 | 300 |
| 2010 | #5,734 | 24 |
| 2000 | #6,135 | 18 |
| 1990 | #12,346 | 6 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Meilani, counting every spelling?
Meilani is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #379 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #591 for Meilani on its own. Together these spellings went to 873 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meilani | 498 | #591 | 1,670 |
| Maelani | 136 | #1,553 | 526 |
| Maylani | 96 | #2,000 | 417 |
| Mailani | 85 | #2,185 | 346 |
| Meilany | 24 | #5,346 | 47 |
| Maylanie | 6 | #14,333 | 38 |
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 Meilani?
498 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Meilani (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Meilani 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 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Meilani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Meilani?
About 3,900 people born in the US named Meilani are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Meilani 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.
Meilani by state
How common Meilani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.3×), Georgia (1.6×), Indiana (1.5×). In 18 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 Meilani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Meilani, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Meilani · Sibling names for Meilani
Questions about the name Meilani
What does Meilani mean?
Meilani is usually explained as “modern coinage; 'heavenly May' (suggested)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Meilani?
Meilani was the 591st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 498 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 356 places. More babies were named Meilani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Meilani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Meilani in the US.
Where is Meilani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Meilani was most common in Arizona (0.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by Georgia and Indiana.