Nalani
Nalani was the 414th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 754 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 868 places. More babies were named Nalani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning the heavens (Hawaiian) · Hawaiian
Say it nuh-LAH-nee /nəˈlɑni/
- Rank in 2025
- #414 girls, up 179 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 754girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025754 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,954babies recorded
What does the name Nalani mean?
Nalani comes from Hawaiian Nālani. Wiktionary breaks it into nā, the plural article "the," and lani, a word for the sky or heavens that is also used for chiefs, royalty and things exalted. Read together, the name means "the heavens" or "the chiefs." On the mainland the name is usually written without the kahakō (macron) over the first a, which in Hawaiian marks a long vowel.
nā (Hawaiian, “the (plural)”)lani (Hawaiian, “sky, heavens; chief, royal”)
How sure is this? Probable. The analysis nā + lani comes from Wiktionary; no edited Hawaiian dictionary could be checked (Pukui & Elbert online is not accessible to our tools).
Pronunciation: In Hawaiian the first vowel is long: Nālani (nah-LAH-nee).
Related names: Nālani, Lani.
See also: Hawaiian names, names that mean king or queen, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nālani' (Hawaiian section), 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)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nalani' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Nalani
The usual nicknames for Nalani are Lani. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Nalani in the last five years, 18 were named Lani, against 115 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 Nalanis go by each one.
Nalani popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #414 | 754 |
| 2020 | #593 | 491 |
| 2010 | #1,155 | 211 |
| 2000 | #3,054 | 46 |
| 1990 | #3,597 | 30 |
| 1980 | #4,096 | 19 |
| 1970 | #5,682 | 9 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #3,863 | 9 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nalani, counting every spelling?
Nalani is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #414 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 792 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nalani | 754 | #414 | 2,890 |
| Nalanie | 17 | #6,752 | 67 |
| Nalany | 14 | #7,779 | 43 |
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 Nalani?
754 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nalani (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nalani 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nalani.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nalani?
About 7,900 people born in the US named Nalani are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 16. That makes Nalani 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.
Nalani by state
How common Nalani was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Carolina (2.5×), Louisiana (2.4×), Georgia (2.3×), Nevada (2.0×), North Carolina (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Iowa, Kansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nalani: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nalani, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nalani · Sibling names for Nalani
Questions about the name Nalani
What does Nalani mean?
Nalani means “the heavens (Hawaiian)” (Hawaiian origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Nalani?
Nalani was the 414th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 754 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 868 places. More babies were named Nalani in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Nalani a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nalani in the US.
Where is Nalani most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nalani was most common in Hawaii (1.66 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Carolina and Louisiana.