Lahela
A feminine Hawaiian name meaning "cherished adornment or precious delight".
Name Census estimates that about 226 living Americans carry the first name Lahela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lahela today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lahela births was 2006 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lahela. 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
226
~ 1 in 1,516,612 Americans
Peak year
2006
27 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,247
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Lahela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lahela from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 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
Lahela 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 Lahela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lahelas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lahela
The name Lahela originated in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is a feminine name that holds significant meaning in the Hawaiian tradition. The word "lā" means "sun" or "day," while "hela" refers to the "rising" or "emerging." Thus, Lahela can be interpreted as "rising sun" or "dawning day."
In ancient Hawaiian folklore, the name Lahela was often associated with the goddess of the sun, Laka. This goddess was revered for her role in promoting growth, fertility, and abundance. Lahela was believed to symbolize the dawn of a new day, representing the promise of renewal and new beginnings.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Lahela can be found in Hawaiian chants and oral traditions dating back to the pre-colonial era. These chants celebrated the beauty and significance of the rising sun, often personified as the goddess Laka or her embodiment, Lahela.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Lahela was a Hawaiian chieftess from the island of Kauai in the late 18th century. She was renowned for her leadership and her role in preserving traditional Hawaiian customs and practices during a period of significant cultural upheaval.
Another notable Lahela was a Hawaiian writer and scholar who lived in the late 19th century. She contributed to the preservation of Hawaiian language and literature by publishing several works, including collections of traditional chants and stories.
In the 20th century, Lahela Cataluna was a prominent Hawaiian activist and advocate for indigenous rights. Born in 1944, she dedicated her life to promoting the sovereignty and self-determination of the Native Hawaiian people.
Lahela Lee, born in 1957, is a renowned Hawaiian hula dancer and kumu hula (hula teacher). She has played a crucial role in perpetuating the traditional art of hula and passing it on to future generations.
Lahela Bright, an artist and educator born in 1968, has gained recognition for her vibrant paintings that depict Hawaiian landscapes, culture, and mythology. Her works often feature elements inspired by the name Lahela, such as the rising sun and the goddess Laka.
While the name Lahela has Hawaiian roots, it has also found appreciation and usage in other cultures, particularly among those with an affinity for Hawaiian traditions and the natural beauty of the islands.
People
Lahela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lahela as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lahela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lahela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 226 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lahela 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 1,516,612 US residents.
Is Lahela a common name?
We classify Lahela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lahela most popular?
The single biggest year for Lahela was 2006, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lahela is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lahela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lahela 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.