Fun Facts About the Name Alani
- More than 18 thousand babies named Alani: U.S. records list 18,903 babies given the name Alani from 1880 through 2025. Even 111 boys received the name Alani - about 1 boy for every 169 girls.
What Does the Name Alani Mean?
Alani is usually explained in one of two ways. In Hawaiian, ʻalani is the word for the orange tree and its fruit, and Alani is used as a name in Hawaii with that meaning. In English-speaking countries, Alani is also used as a spelling variant of Alana, the feminine form of the masculine name Alan. The origin of Alan is disputed: one common account connects it to a Celtic word for "rock," while another connects it to the Alans, an Iranian-speaking people of the Eurasian steppe. These two explanations for Alani are independent of each other, so its meaning depends on which origin is intended.
Alani Name History & Origins
The Hawaiian word ʻalani names the orange tree and its fruit and is written with the ʻokina, the glottal stop represented by ʻ. As a given name it is used in Hawaii directly from that word, though it is commonly written without the ʻokina in English.
The English use of Alani is mainly a variant spelling of Alana, a name formed in the twentieth century as a feminine counterpart to Alan. Alan entered England with the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and was long common in Brittany, where Breton dukes and saints bore the name. The deeper origin of Alan is still debated, so this branch of Alani rests on a name whose etymology is not fully settled.
The ancient tribal name Alani (the Alans) is a separate ethnic label recorded in Latin and Greek sources and is not the source of the given name Alani, even though some explanations of the name Alan point toward that people.
How Popular is the Name Alani?
Alani recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #161 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #161 | 1,843 | 0.1147% |
| 2024 | #178 | 1,697 | 0.1052% |
| 2023 | #176 | 1,653 | 0.1031% |
| 2022 | #173 | 1,700 | 0.1037% |
| 2021 | #183 | 1,605 | 0.0979% |
| 2020 | #220 | 1,320 | 0.0817% |
| 2019 | #303 | 1,074 | 0.0640% |
| 2018 | #347 | 912 | 0.0536% |
| 2017 | #448 | 705 | 0.0408% |
| 2016 | #488 | 637 | 0.0360% |
| 2015 | #529 | 595 | 0.0333% |
| 2014 | #613 | 474 | 0.0265% |
| 2013 | #616 | 454 | 0.0259% |
| 2012 | #588 | 496 | 0.0282% |
| 2011 | #666 | 425 | 0.0242% |
| 2010 | #716 | 394 | 0.0222% |
| 2009 | #754 | 376 | 0.0205% |
| 2008 | #918 | 298 | 0.0158% |
| 2007 | #873 | 320 | 0.0166% |
| 2006 | #942 | 278 | 0.0146% |
| 2005 | #920 | 270 | 0.0146% |
| 2004 | #1,025 | 227 | 0.0124% |
| 2003 | #984 | 234 | 0.0128% |
| 2002 | #1,404 | 137 | 0.0076% |
| 2001 | #1,516 | 123 | 0.0068% |
| 2000 | #1,558 | 114 | 0.0063% |
| 1999 | #1,975 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 1998 | #2,429 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1997 | #2,328 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1996 | #2,476 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1995 | #4,222 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #5,258 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #4,258 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #4,383 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1991 | #7,997 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #6,876 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #12,397 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,702 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #7,366 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #6,621 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #8,172 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,227 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #10,543 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #8,145 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,801 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #9,773 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,740 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #9,903 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #12,308 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #8,325 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #9,596 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #6,108 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #12,226 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #8,871 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #10,808 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #10,778 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #10,831 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #9,720 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #12,612 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2007 | #12,425 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #12,109 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #11,519 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #11,407 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Alani
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with A
Unique Short Girl Names That Start with A
How the Name Alani Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Alani's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Alani's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.