Leinaala
A Hawaiian feminine name meaning "heavenly flower lei".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Leinaala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Leinaala today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leinaala births was 1978 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leinaala. 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 Leinaala. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1978
14 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,329
Tracked since 1975
Census
Leinaala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 188 people with the first name Leinaala, which placed it at #39,872 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
#39,872
National first-name rank
People counted
188
188 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
47.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leinaala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leinaala is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (33.5%) and Hispanic (13.3%). 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 Leinaala 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 Leinaala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander47.9% · 90
- Two or more races33.5% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino13.3% · 25
- White3.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Leinaala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leinaala from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 31 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leinaala 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 Leinaala during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Leinaalas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Leinaala
Leinaala is a Hawaiian given name derived from the words "lei" meaning "garland" or "wreath" and "naalu" meaning "soft" or "mild." It is believed to have originated in the 18th century, during the period of the Hawaiian Renaissance when the Hawaiian language and cultural traditions experienced a revival.
The name Leinaala is associated with the natural beauty and gentle spirit of the Hawaiian Islands. It evokes images of fragrant flower leis, warm breezes, and the serene island lifestyle. The combination of the words "lei" and "naalu" suggests a person who possesses a soft, gentle nature and a connection to the natural world.
In Hawaiian mythology and legend, there are no specific historical references to individuals named Leinaala. However, the name itself reflects the deep appreciation and reverence the Hawaiian people have for their natural environment and the symbolic significance of leis in their culture.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Leinaala was Princess Leinaala Kahiluonapuamalani, born in 1832. She was a member of the Hawaiian royal family and a descendant of King Kamehameha I, the founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Another notable figure was Leinaala Kinoiki Hilo (1892-1984), a Hawaiian musician, and composer known for her contributions to the preservation of traditional Hawaiian music and hula. Her compositions, such as "Ka Lehua I Milia" and "Puakailima," are still performed today.
Leinaala Ane Crabbe (1920-2009) was a Hawaiian writer and educator who worked tirelessly to promote the use of the Hawaiian language in schools and to preserve traditional Hawaiian stories and cultural practices.
Leinaala Heine (1930-2019) was a renowned Hawaiian fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her vibrant and colorful designs, featuring traditional Hawaiian motifs and patterns, gained international recognition and helped to showcase Hawaiian culture on a global stage.
Leinaala Jardin (born 1945) is a Hawaiian artist and teacher known for her intricate and beautiful featherwork, a traditional Hawaiian art form. Her creations have been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Hawaii.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Leinaala throughout history, each contributing to the preservation and celebration of Hawaiian culture and traditions in their own unique way.
People
Leinaala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leinaala 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
Leinaala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leinaala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leinaala 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Leinaala a common name?
We classify Leinaala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leinaala most popular?
The single biggest year for Leinaala was 1978, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leinaala is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Leinaala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 188 people with the name Leinaala, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,872 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 Leinaala 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 Leinaala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Leinaala leans strongly female. 185 people counted with this name were female (98.4%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.6%). 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 Leinaala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Leinaala is Asian/Pacific Islander at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (33.5%) and Hispanic (13.3%). 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 Leinaala most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Leinaala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (90 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 Leinaala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leinaala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leinaala 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 Leinaala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leinaala 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 Leinaala 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 Leinaala?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Leinaala at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.