Keahilani
A Hawaiian name meaning "the heavenly dew" or "heavenly rain".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Keahilani. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Keahilani today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keahilani births was 2019 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keahilani. 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 Keahilani. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2019
6 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,476
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Keahilani: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Keahilani 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 Keahilani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Keahilani
The given name Keahilani originates from the Hawaiian language and culture. It is a compound name made up of the Hawaiian words "ke'a," meaning white or light, and "hilani," meaning royal or exalted. Together, the name is believed to convey a meaning of "heavenly light" or "heavenly royalty."
In ancient Hawaiian tradition, names held significant cultural and spiritual importance. They were carefully chosen to reflect aspects of nature, personal qualities, or aspirations for the individual. The name Keahilani likely emerged during the pre-European contact era when the Hawaiian islands were governed by a complex system of chiefdoms and kingdoms.
While there are no known references to the name Keahilani in ancient Hawaiian chants or oral traditions, its components, "ke'a" and "hilani," were commonly used in naming practices. The inclusion of "hilani" suggests a possible connection to the Hawaiian nobility or the belief that the individual possessed a regal or divine essence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Keahilani can be traced back to the late 18th century. Keahilani Kalama (1779-1839) was a high-ranking Hawaiian chiefess who played a significant role in the transition from traditional Hawaiian religion to Christianity during the reign of King Kamehameha I.
Another notable figure was Keahilani Kekuaokalani (1875-1943), a Hawaiian historian and genealogist. She was instrumental in preserving and documenting the genealogies and traditions of Hawaiian nobility, contributing to the preservation of Hawaiian cultural heritage.
In the 20th century, Keahilani Kekoolani (1922-2006) was a renowned Hawaiian musician and composer. She helped popularize traditional Hawaiian music and composed numerous songs that celebrated the beauty of the islands and their rich cultural traditions.
Keahilani Labra (1953-present) is a contemporary Hawaiian artist and activist known for her vibrant paintings that depict the spiritual and cultural connections between the Hawaiian people and their land. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are celebrated for their authentic representation of Hawaiian identity.
Keahilani Coakley (1972-present) is a Hawaiian educator and advocate for language revitalization. She has dedicated her career to promoting the use of the Hawaiian language in educational settings and ensuring its transmission to future generations.
People
Keahilani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keahilani 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
Keahilani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keahilani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keahilani 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Keahilani a common name?
We classify Keahilani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keahilani most popular?
The single biggest year for Keahilani was 2019, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keahilani is about 7 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 Keahilani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Keahilani a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keahilani in the SSA data are male. 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 Keahilani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Keahilani 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 Keahilani 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 many Americans are named Keahilani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.