Hiilei
Hawaiian name meaning "child adorned with feather lei."
Name Census estimates that about 82 living Americans carry the first name Hiilei. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hiilei today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hiilei births was 2007 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hiilei. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hiilei. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
82
~ 1 in 4,179,931 Americans
Peak year
2007
8 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,730
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Hiilei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hiilei from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Hiilei remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hiilei 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 Hiilei during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hiileis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hiilei
The name Hiilei originates from the Hawaiian language and culture, with roots dating back to the ancient Polynesian settlers of the Hawaiian Islands. It is believed to have originated during the time when the islands were first inhabited, around the 4th or 5th century AD.
Hiilei is derived from the Hawaiian words "Hi'i," meaning "to twist or braid," and "lei," referring to the traditional Hawaiian flower garlands. The name likely signifies the act of braiding or twisting flowers into a lei, a cherished tradition in Hawaiian culture.
In ancient Hawaiian mythology, the name Hiilei is associated with the goddess of hula dancing, Laka. According to legend, Hiilei was a skilled dancer and weaver of leis who accompanied Laka during her travels across the islands, teaching the art of hula and lei-making to the people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hiilei can be found in the Kumulipo, a sacred Hawaiian chant that recounts the creation of the world and the genealogy of the Hawaiian people. This ancient text, believed to have been composed in the 16th or 17th century, mentions Hiilei as a significant figure in Hawaiian mythology.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hiilei. One of the most prominent was Hiilei Nahenahe (1873-1955), a renowned Hawaiian musician and composer who played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting traditional Hawaiian music during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable figure was Hiilei Kawailoa (1888-1961), a respected kumu hula (hula teacher) who dedicated her life to perpetuating the ancient Hawaiian dance tradition. She was instrumental in reviving and preserving various hula chants and dances that had been in danger of being lost.
In the realm of Hawaiian literature, Hiilei Kanahele (1923-1991) was a celebrated poet and playwright whose works explored themes of Hawaiian identity, culture, and the struggles of the indigenous people.
The name Hiilei was also carried by Hiilei Aarona (1901-1986), a respected Hawaiian linguist and educator who played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the Hawaiian language through her work as a teacher and author.
Lastly, Hiilei Kekai (1936-2011) was a renowned Hawaiian historian and cultural practitioner who dedicated her life to studying and perpetuating the traditions and practices of her ancestors, including the art of lei-making and hula.
These individuals, among others, have carried the name Hiilei throughout history, contributing significantly to the preservation and celebration of Hawaiian culture and traditions.
People
Hiilei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hiilei as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hiilei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hiilei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 82 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hiilei 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 4,179,931 US residents.
Is Hiilei a common name?
We classify Hiilei as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 83 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hiilei most popular?
The single biggest year for Hiilei was 2007, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hiilei is about 15 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 Hiilei in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hiilei a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hiilei 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 Hiilei still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hiilei 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 Hiilei 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 Hiilei?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.