Iolana
Hawaiian feminine name meaning "to praise" or "hawk of royalty".
Name Census estimates that about 97 living Americans carry the first name Iolana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Iolana today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Iolana births was 2020 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Iolana. 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 Iolana. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
97
~ 1 in 3,533,550 Americans
Peak year
2020
17 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,462
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Iolana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Iolana from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 46 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
Iolana 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 Iolana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Iolanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Iolana
The name Iolana is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is a melodic combination of the elements "io," meaning "hawk" or "supreme," and "lana," which can be translated as "a free path" or "floating." This blend of meanings suggests a name symbolic of freedom, nobility, and soaring ambition.
In Hawaiian tradition, names often carried deep significance, reflecting the natural world, spiritual beliefs, or desired qualities for a child. The inclusion of "io" in Iolana likely pays homage to the revered Hawaiian hawk, a powerful and majestic creature associated with strength, vision, and protection.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Iolana can be traced back to historical documents and oral traditions from the Hawaiian Islands, though pinpointing an exact period is challenging due to the primarily oral nature of Hawaiian culture in ancient times.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Iolana, though records are somewhat scarce. One such individual was Iolana Kalāua, a Hawaiian chieftain and landowner who lived in the early 19th century and played a role in the transition period as the Hawaiian Kingdom evolved under Western influence.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Iolana Wilcox, a respected Hawaiian educator and community leader who founded the Kamehameha Schools in the late 19th century, dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture and providing education to Native Hawaiian children.
In the realm of Hawaiian music and dance, Iolana Mahoe was a renowned hula dancer and kumu hula (hula teacher) who helped ensure the preservation and perpetuation of traditional Hawaiian hula and chant in the early 20th century.
The name Iolana also gained some recognition in the literary world with Iolana Luahine, a Hawaiian writer and storyteller who documented and shared traditional Hawaiian legends, folklore, and customs through her published works in the mid-20th century.
Lastly, Iolana Akau was a prominent figure in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement of the late 20th century, advocating for the recognition and rights of Native Hawaiians and serving as a leader in various organizations dedicated to this cause.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples illustrate the enduring presence of the name Iolana throughout different periods of Hawaiian history, carrying the essence of its cultural roots and significance.
People
Iolana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Iolana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Iolana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Iolana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 97 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Iolana 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 3,533,550 US residents.
Is Iolana a common name?
We classify Iolana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 98 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Iolana most popular?
The single biggest year for Iolana was 2020, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Iolana is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Iolana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Iolana 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.
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.