Mililani
A Hawaiian name meaning "small twisting leaf".
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the first name Mililani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mililani today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mililani births was 2020 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mililani. 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
128
~ 1 in 2,677,768 Americans
Peak year
2020
17 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,651
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Mililani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mililani 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 68 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Mililani remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mililani 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 Mililani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mililanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mililani
The name Mililani is a Hawaiian name that originated in the 20th century on the Hawaiian Islands. It is derived from the Hawaiian words "mili" meaning "to twist or braid" and "lani" meaning "heavenly or sky." Together, the name Mililani can be interpreted to mean "braided heavens" or "heavenly braids."
While the name itself is relatively modern, its components have roots in the ancient Hawaiian language and culture. The concept of weaving or braiding is deeply ingrained in traditional Hawaiian crafts and practices, such as the intricate lauhala weaving used in baskets and mats. Additionally, the reference to "lani" or the heavens reflects the importance of celestial bodies and natural phenomena in Hawaiian cosmology and mythology.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Mililani can be traced back to the early 20th century in Hawaii. One of the earliest notable individuals with this name was Mililani Trask, a prominent Hawaiian activist and leader of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, who was born in 1944.
Another notable Mililani is Mililani Hanapi, a Hawaiian singer and musician who was born in 1945 and is known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hawaiian music and dance.
Mililani Allen, born in 1949, is a Hawaiian academic and author who has written extensively on Hawaiian language, literature, and culture, contributing to the revitalization efforts of the Hawaiian language.
In the realm of sports, Mililani Akau-Downing, born in 1985, is a former professional surfer from Hawaii who won multiple national and international surfing competitions.
Mililani B. Trask, born in 1947, is a Hawaiian attorney and indigenous rights advocate who has played a significant role in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and the protection of Native Hawaiian rights and land.
It's important to note that while the name Mililani has become more widely known and used in recent decades, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Hawaiian culture and language, reflecting the enduring connection between the people of Hawaii and their rich heritage.
People
Mililani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mililani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mililani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mililani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 128 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mililani 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 2,677,768 US residents.
Is Mililani a common name?
We classify Mililani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 129 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mililani most popular?
The single biggest year for Mililani was 2020, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mililani 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 Mililani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mililani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mililani 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 Mililani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mililani 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 Mililani 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 are named Mililani?
See how many people share the name Mililani on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.