Kamalani
A feminine Hawaiian name meaning "children born from heaven".
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the first name Kamalani. It is a predominantly female name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Kamalani today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kamalani births was 2004 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kamalani. 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
295
~ 1 in 1,161,879 Americans
Peak year
2004
19 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
1998 SSA rank
#9,059
Tracked since 1994
Census
Kamalani in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 274 people with the first name Kamalani, which placed it at #31,306 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#31,306
National first-name rank
People counted
274
274 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
44.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamalani
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamalani is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (35.0%) and Hispanic (15.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kamalani described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kamalani at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander44.5% · 122
- Two or more races35.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino15.3% · 42
- White2.9% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Kamalani
Kamalani leans heavily female at 98.0% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kamalani as a male name
- Ranked #9,059 in 1998
- 6 male births in 1998
- Peak: 1998 (6 births)
Kamalani as a female name
- Ranked #11,574 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2004 (19 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kamalani leans strongly female. 237 people counted with this name were female (88.1%), compared with 32 male bearers (11.9%).
Popularity
Kamalani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kamalani from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 118 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kamalani 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 Kamalani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kamalanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kamalani
The name Kamalani has its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is derived from the combination of two Hawaiian words: "kama," meaning child, and "lani," meaning heaven or sky. Together, Kamalani can be interpreted to mean "child of heaven" or "heavenly child."
The Hawaiian islands have a rich history dating back to the early Polynesian settlers who arrived in the region around the 4th century AD. The Hawaiian language and naming traditions evolved over centuries, heavily influenced by the island's natural environment and the spiritual beliefs of its people. Kamalani likely emerged as a name during this early period, reflecting the cultural significance of parenthood and the reverence for the celestial realms.
While there are no specific historical references to the name Kamalani in ancient Hawaiian texts or records, its components, "kama" and "lani," are deeply rooted in Hawaiian mythology and traditions. The concept of "lani" as the heavenly realm is prominent in Hawaiian cosmology, and the idea of children as cherished gifts is central to Hawaiian family values.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kamalani can be found in the genealogies of Hawaiian royalty. Princess Kamalani Keawenuiaumi, born in 1821, was a member of the Hawaiian royal family and a descendant of King Kamehameha I, the founder of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kamalani was Kamalani Kauakahi Kinney, a Hawaiian historian, and author born in 1887. She played a crucial role in preserving and documenting Hawaiian culture, language, and traditions through her written works.
In more recent history, Kamalani Daines, born in 1961, is a Hawaiian singer-songwriter and musician who has contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Hawaiian music and language.
Kamalani Rodrigues, born in 1978, is a renowned Hawaiian hula dancer and kumu hula (hula teacher). She has been instrumental in perpetuating the art of hula and sharing Hawaiian culture with audiences worldwide.
Kamalani Ahui, born in 1989, is a professional volleyball player who has represented the United States in international competitions. Her athletic achievements have brought recognition to her Hawaiian heritage and the name Kamalani.
While the name Kamalani has its roots in Hawaiian culture, it has gained popularity and recognition worldwide, transcending its original geographical boundaries. Its beautiful meaning and connection to the rich Hawaiian heritage have made it a cherished name in many communities.
People
Kamalani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kamalani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kamalani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kamalani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 295 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kamalani 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 1,161,879 US residents.
Is Kamalani a common name?
We classify Kamalani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 300 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kamalani most popular?
The single biggest year for Kamalani was 2004, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kamalani is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kamalani in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 274 people with the name Kamalani, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,306 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kamalani in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kamalani?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kamalani leans strongly female. 237 people counted with this name were female (88.1%), compared with 32 male bearers (11.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kamalani?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamalani is Asian/Pacific Islander at 44.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (35.0%) and Hispanic (15.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kamalani most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kamalani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.5% (122 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kamalani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kamalani a female name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Kamalani 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 Kamalani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kamalani 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 Kamalani 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.
How many Americans are named Kamalani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.