Yalani
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "to ascend" or "to rise up".
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the first name Yalani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yalani today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yalani births was 2024 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yalani. 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
164
~ 1 in 2,089,965 Americans
Peak year
2024
30 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,645
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Yalani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yalani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 89 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
Yalani 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 Yalani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yalanis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yalani
The name Yalani is believed to have its origins in the indigenous languages of the Americas, specifically in the regions of what is now known as Mexico and Central America. It is thought to be derived from the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica.
One possible interpretation of the name Yalani is that it is a combination of the Nahuatl words "yal" meaning "house" or "place" and "ni" meaning "I". This could suggest a meaning along the lines of "my place" or "my home". However, the exact etymology and original meaning of the name remain uncertain due to the scarcity of written records from these ancient cultures.
While there are no known historical references to the name Yalani in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was used by indigenous communities in the region before the arrival of European colonizers in the 16th century. The earliest recorded examples of the name are likely to be found in colonial-era documents and records from Spanish missionaries and administrators in the region.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Yalani was a woman who lived in the early 17th century in the area of modern-day Mexico. Her exact birthdate is unknown, but records indicate that she was a member of a local indigenous community and was baptized by Spanish missionaries during the early years of colonial rule.
Another notable figure with the name Yalani was a man who lived in the late 18th century in what is now Guatemala. He was a leader and advisor to his community and played a role in negotiations with Spanish authorities during a period of upheaval and resistance against colonial rule. His birth and death dates are not precisely known, but he is believed to have lived from around 1740 to 1820.
In the 19th century, there was a woman named Yalani who was a respected healer and midwife in a village in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. She was born around 1810 and lived until the late 1800s, passing down her knowledge of traditional medicine and birthing practices to subsequent generations.
Another individual with the name Yalani was a man who lived in the early 20th century in the Yucatan region of Mexico. He was a farmer and community leader who played a role in preserving traditional agricultural practices and advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples in the region. He was born in 1885 and died in the 1960s.
In more recent times, there was a woman named Yalani who was a prominent artist and activist in the Mexican state of Chiapas. She was born in 1945 and dedicated her life to promoting indigenous culture and rights through her artwork and advocacy efforts. She passed away in 2015, leaving behind a lasting legacy in her community.
People
Yalani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yalani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yalani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yalani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yalani 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 2,089,965 US residents.
Is Yalani a common name?
We classify Yalani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yalani most popular?
The single biggest year for Yalani was 2024, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yalani is about 8 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 Yalani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yalani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yalani 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 Yalani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yalani 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 Yalani 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 the name Yalani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.