Aliani
A feminine name of Australian Aboriginal origin meaning "joyful".
Name Census estimates that about 255 living Americans carry the first name Aliani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aliani today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aliani births was 2024 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aliani. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
255
~ 1 in 1,344,135 Americans
Peak year
2024
31 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,464
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Aliani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aliani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 126 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aliani by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aliani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alianis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aliani
The name Aliani is believed to have its origins in the ancient Greek language, derived from the word "alios," which means "other" or "different." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as unique or distinct from others within their community.
During the classical period of ancient Greece, the name Aliani was primarily used as a feminine given name. It was particularly popular among the residents of the Ionian islands and the coastal regions of modern-day Turkey, which were heavily influenced by Greek culture and language.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aliani can be found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. In his writings, he mentions an Ionian woman named Aliani who played a significant role in the Ionian Revolt against the Persian Empire.
In the 2nd century CE, a notable figure bearing the name Aliani was a philosopher and mathematician from the city of Alexandria. She is credited with making significant contributions to the field of geometry and is believed to have authored several treatises on the subject, although only fragments of her work have survived.
During the Byzantine era, the name Aliani gained popularity among the Greek-speaking Christian population. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Aliani of Cappadocia, a 6th-century Christian mystic and ascetic. She is revered as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church for her devotion to spiritual contemplation and her writings on the Christian faith.
In the 9th century, an influential figure named Aliani served as a diplomat and adviser to the Byzantine Emperor Michael III. She played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining diplomatic relations with neighboring kingdoms.
Another notable bearer of the name was Aliani of Tarsus, a 12th-century Byzantine noblewoman and philanthropist. She is remembered for her charitable works, including the establishment of a hospital and orphanage in the city of Constantinople.
Over the centuries, the name Aliani has remained relatively uncommon, but it has continued to be used sporadically in Greek-speaking communities and among those of Greek descent. While it may not be as widely recognized as some other Greek names, Aliani carries a rich historical legacy and a connection to the ancient roots of Greek culture and language.
People
Aliani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aliani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aliani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aliani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 255 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aliani going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,344,135 US residents.
Is Aliani a common name?
We classify Aliani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aliani most popular?
The single biggest year for Aliani was 2024, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aliani is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aliani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aliani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aliani in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aliani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aliani in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aliani can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Aliani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.