Fun Facts About the Name Kailani
- More than 12 thousand babies named Kailani: U.S. records list 12,813 babies given the name Kailani from 1880 through 2025. Even 45 boys received the name Kailani - about 1 boy for every 284 girls.
What Does the Name Kailani Mean?
Kailani is a Hawaiian name built from two common Hawaiian words: kai, meaning "sea" or "sea water," and lani, meaning "sky," "heaven," or "heavenly." Read literally, the two elements combine as "sea and sky." Because lani also carries the senses "royal," "chiefly," and "heavenly," the name is often glossed in English as "heavenly sea." The meaning rests on the word elements themselves rather than on a single translated phrase; "sea and sky" is a customary English rendering of the two-part structure.
Kailani Name History & Origins
Hawaiian personal names are traditionally formed by joining meaningful words, and both kai and lani are frequent building elements. Lani appears in many Hawaiian names, such as Leilani and Kalani, contributing a sense of "heavenly," "royal," or "sky." Kai appears in names and words tied to the sea, which holds a central place in Hawaiian life and geography. Kailani follows this same compounding pattern.
The name belongs to the Hawaiian language, and it is used as a given name in Hawaiʻi and, more widely, in the United States, where Hawaiian names became familiar to a broader public over the course of the twentieth century. Its usual spelling carries no ʻokina (glottal stop) or kahakō (macron), since the words kai and lani are written without them. Older Hawaiian naming records are limited, so the name's exact earliest appearance as a personal name is not firmly established.
How Popular is the Name Kailani?
Kailani recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #222 in 2022.
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 | #253 | 1,215 | 0.0756% |
| 2024 | #275 | 1,141 | 0.0707% |
| 2023 | #225 | 1,320 | 0.0824% |
| 2022 | #222 | 1,349 | 0.0823% |
| 2021 | #278 | 1,138 | 0.0694% |
| 2020 | #282 | 1,132 | 0.0701% |
| 2019 | #350 | 903 | 0.0538% |
| 2018 | #390 | 795 | 0.0468% |
| 2017 | #619 | 485 | 0.0281% |
| 2016 | #754 | 378 | 0.0213% |
| 2015 | #878 | 317 | 0.0178% |
| 2014 | #985 | 271 | 0.0152% |
| 2013 | #966 | 261 | 0.0149% |
| 2012 | #1,013 | 250 | 0.0142% |
| 2011 | #1,130 | 217 | 0.0123% |
| 2010 | #1,279 | 186 | 0.0105% |
| 2009 | #1,421 | 165 | 0.0090% |
| 2008 | #1,357 | 179 | 0.0095% |
| 2007 | #1,520 | 152 | 0.0079% |
| 2006 | #1,524 | 144 | 0.0076% |
| 2005 | #1,635 | 123 | 0.0067% |
| 2004 | #1,551 | 128 | 0.0070% |
| 2003 | #2,076 | 86 | 0.0047% |
| 2002 | #2,480 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2001 | #2,791 | 53 | 0.0029% |
| 2000 | #2,756 | 53 | 0.0029% |
| 1999 | #3,749 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1998 | #3,257 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1997 | #6,014 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #5,162 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #4,757 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #4,604 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #5,532 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #6,457 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #6,398 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #7,556 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #7,697 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #6,848 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #7,651 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #9,867 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #11,158 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #11,003 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #11,233 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,720 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #9,330 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #9,408 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #13,046 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #10,274 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #11,412 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #11,706 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #13,376 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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.
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How the Name Kailani Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Kailani's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kailani's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.