Raelani
A feminine name of Polynesian origin meaning "heavenly flower" or "sky blossom".
Name Census estimates that about 102 living Americans carry the first name Raelani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Raelani today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raelani births was 2024 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raelani. 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
102
~ 1 in 3,360,337 Americans
Peak year
2024
18 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,559
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Raelani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raelani from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 73 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
Raelani 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 Raelani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raelanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Raelani
The name Raelani is believed to have originated from the Hawaiian language, where it is a combination of the words "rae" and "lani." The word "rae" means "ray" or "beam," while "lani" refers to "heaven" or "sky." Therefore, the name Raelani can be interpreted as "heavenly ray" or "ray from heaven."
This name is thought to have first appeared in the late 19th or early 20th century, as Hawaiian names gained popularity among non-Hawaiian communities. While it is not a traditional Hawaiian name, it was likely created in a similar fashion to other Hawaiian names, reflecting the island's natural beauty and cultural traditions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Raelani was Raelani Kahele, a Hawaiian hula dancer and instructor born in 1923. She was renowned for her dedication to preserving and promoting the traditional Hawaiian arts, and she taught hula for several decades until her passing in 2008.
Another notable figure with this name was Raelani Velasco, an American singer and songwriter born in 1980. She gained recognition for her unique blend of pop, rock, and Hawaiian music, and her album "Aloha" was well-received by critics and fans alike.
In the literary world, Raelani Kanalu was a Hawaiian author and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories in the mid-20th century. Her works often explored themes of cultural identity, spirituality, and the natural world.
In the field of education, Raelani Kekoa was a prominent educator and advocate for native Hawaiian language and culture. Born in 1945, she dedicated her career to establishing language immersion programs and promoting the revitalization of Hawaiian cultural practices.
Finally, Raelani Kahalewai was a Hawaiian activist and community organizer who played a significant role in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement in the late 20th century. She dedicated her life to advocating for indigenous rights and raising awareness about the historical injustices faced by the Hawaiian people.
While the name Raelani is not as common as some other Hawaiian names, it has been embraced by individuals of various backgrounds, drawn to its melodic sound and meaningful connection to the Hawaiian culture and natural world.
People
Raelani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raelani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raelani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raelani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 102 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raelani 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 3,360,337 US residents.
Is Raelani a common name?
We classify Raelani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 103 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raelani most popular?
The single biggest year for Raelani was 2024, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raelani is about 5 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 Raelani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Raelani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raelani 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 Raelani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Raelani 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 Raelani 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 Raelani?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.