Fun Facts About the Name Leilahni
- 135 babies named Leilahni: U.S. records list 135 babies given the name Leilahni from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Leilahni Mean?
Leilahni is a spelling variant of the Hawaiian name Leilani. That name joins two Hawaiian words: lei, a garland or wreath, and lani, meaning "sky" or "heaven" and also "royal, chief." Read literally, the name means "heavenly garland" or "royal garland." The added h is not part of the Hawaiian spelling; it is an English respelling that points to the vowel of the stressed middle syllable, so Leilahni and Leilani are pronounced the same way. Popular sources sometimes gloss the name as "heavenly child," but that is a figurative reading rather than a translation of the Hawaiian elements.
Leilahni Name History & Origins
Leilani is built from Hawaiian words rather than borrowed from another language, and it follows a Hawaiian naming pattern in which a beloved or everyday element is joined to lani, the word for the sky and for chiefs.
The name is familiar to English speakers through the song "Sweet Leilani," written by Harry Owens and sung by Bing Crosby in the 1937 film Waikiki Wedding, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. That film use is a later, well-known association rather than the source of the name, which was already current in Hawaii as a given name.
Leilahni itself differs from the parent name only in spelling. The h marks the middle syllable for English readers, and this type of respelling appears in the United States alongside forms such as Leilani and Lailani.
How Popular is the Name Leilahni?
Leilahni has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2023. Its best rank was #5,069 in 2023.
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 | #7,342 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #8,709 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #5,069 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #8,817 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #8,289 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #8,216 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #10,985 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #14,876 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #9,666 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #13,940 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #15,724 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #18,833 | 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.
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How the Name Leilahni Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Leilahni's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Leilahni's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.