Leilanni
A Hawaiian name combining the elements "lei" meaning flower and "lani" meaning heaven or heavenly.
Name Census estimates that about 484 living Americans carry the first name Leilanni. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leilanni today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leilanni births was 2023 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leilanni. 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
484
~ 1 in 708,170 Americans
Peak year
2023
44 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,671
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Leilanni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leilanni from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 215 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
Leilanni 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 Leilanni during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leilannis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Leilanni, while Washington, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leilanni
The name Leilanni is a Hawaiian feminine given name. It is a combination of the Hawaiian words "lei," meaning a garland or wreath of flowers, and "lani," meaning sky or heaven. Together, Leilanni translates to "heavenly lei" or "lei from heaven."
The Hawaiian language and culture have their roots in the Polynesian migration and settlement of the Hawaiian Islands, which began around the 4th century AD. The name Leilanni likely emerged as a traditional Hawaiian name during this time period or in the centuries that followed.
While the name Leilanni is not explicitly mentioned in ancient Hawaiian chants or historical records, its components, "lei" and "lani," feature prominently in Hawaiian mythology and cultural traditions. The lei, a garland of flowers, is a symbol of love, respect, and honor in Hawaiian culture, while "lani" represents the heavens and the divine realm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leilanni can be found in the genealogical records of the Hawaiian monarchy. Queen Leilanni, also known as Leilani, was a member of the Hawaiian royal family and lived in the 18th century. She was the wife of Keōua, a high chief on the island of Hawaii.
Another notable figure in history with the name Leilanni was Leilanni Kealoha (1907-1988), a Hawaiian musician and hula dancer. She was a renowned performer and played a significant role in preserving and promoting Hawaiian culture and traditions.
In literature, Leilanni is the name of a character in the novel "The Wind Gourd of La'ā'maomao" by Moses Keale III, a Hawaiian author. The book, published in 1981, is a fictional account of Hawaiian mythology and folklore.
Other historical figures with the name Leilanni include Leilanni Akamu (1928-2014), a Hawaiian activist and educator who worked to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture, and Leilanni Ahu (1932-2010), a Hawaiian musician and singer who performed traditional Hawaiian music.
While the name Leilanni has its roots in Hawaiian culture, it has gained popularity globally in recent decades, particularly in regions with strong Polynesian or Pacific Islander communities.
People
Leilanni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leilanni 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
Leilanni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leilanni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 484 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leilanni 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 708,170 US residents.
Is Leilanni a common name?
We classify Leilanni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 488 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leilanni most popular?
The single biggest year for Leilanni was 2023, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leilanni is about 9 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 Leilanni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leilanni a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leilanni 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 Leilanni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leilanni 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 Leilanni 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 people have Leilanni as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.