Fun Facts About the Name Malani
- More than 7 thousand babies named Malani: U.S. records list 7,110 babies given the name Malani from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Malani - about 1 boy for every 1,421 girls.
What Does the Name Malani Mean?
Malani is used in more than one unrelated tradition, so no single meaning can be given for the name as a whole. In Hawaii it is a feminine given name built from Hawaiian sounds; it is often explained as a Hawaiian reshaping of an English name such as Melanie or Marlene, but that link is not documented, and the literal sense of the Hawaiian name is not settled. Popular explanations connect it with Hawaiian words for calm and gentleness, such as mālie, but this is a symbolic association rather than a recorded etymology. Among Sindhi Hindus, and in the wider South Asian diaspora, Malani is a surname formed with the common surname ending -ani, as in Malkani, Makhijani, Gidwani, and Jhangiani. The specific element that Malani is built on is not recorded, and -ani is a naming pattern rather than a word carrying meaning.
Malani Name History & Origins
Hawaiian names draw on a small set of sounds: the consonants h, k, l, m, n, p, and w, and the vowels a, e, i, o, and u, with syllables generally ending in a vowel. Malani fits this pattern, and it belongs to the large group of names coined or adapted in the 19th and 20th centuries, a period when Hawaiians recast English and biblical names into Hawaiian forms - Keoni for John, Malia for Maria. Whether Malani arose that way, from a name such as Melanie or Marlene, or was coined within Hawaiian from its own sound and word associations, is not documented, and records of its earliest use are limited.
As a family name, Malani belongs to the Sindhi Hindu tradition of the lower Indus valley. Sindhi surnames very often end in -ani, and names of this shape were carried out of Sindh in large numbers after the partition of India in 1947, when most Sindhi Hindus moved to India, and later by emigrants to other countries. The element behind Malani itself is not recorded.
How Popular is the Name Malani?
Malani recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #331 in 2024.
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 | #374 | 822 | 0.0511% |
| 2024 | #331 | 938 | 0.0581% |
| 2023 | #350 | 869 | 0.0542% |
| 2022 | #397 | 790 | 0.0482% |
| 2021 | #422 | 749 | 0.0457% |
| 2020 | #494 | 618 | 0.0383% |
| 2019 | #670 | 433 | 0.0258% |
| 2018 | #742 | 373 | 0.0219% |
| 2017 | #920 | 290 | 0.0168% |
| 2016 | #1,188 | 210 | 0.0119% |
| 2015 | #1,252 | 196 | 0.0110% |
| 2014 | #1,946 | 103 | 0.0058% |
| 2013 | #2,250 | 83 | 0.0047% |
| 2012 | #1,771 | 117 | 0.0066% |
| 2011 | #1,922 | 104 | 0.0059% |
| 2010 | #2,603 | 70 | 0.0039% |
| 2009 | #2,986 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #4,721 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2007 | #4,433 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2006 | #3,768 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2005 | #3,242 | 48 | 0.0026% |
| 2004 | #6,401 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #5,186 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #7,675 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #9,131 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #14,294 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #15,913 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #9,014 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #15,184 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #9,268 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #14,841 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,448 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #11,405 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #9,160 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #13,602 | 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 Malani
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with M
How the Name Malani Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Malani's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Malani's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.