Hawaiian Baby Names

Hawaiian baby names have become popular not only on the islands of Hawaii, but also across the United States. For a hundred years, from 1860-1967, there was a law in Hawaii that all Hawaiian babies had to have Christian names, and their Hawaiian name was only allowed to be their middle name. They were also regulated so that they shared a similar last name system to America. Now, however, times have changed and Hawaiian baby names have gained much popularity.

In Hawaiian, like many other languages, there are no consonant clusters. This means that each consonant in a name has a vowel on either side of it. Names like Charles or Ruth do not exist in Hawaiian. Note that Hawaiian words only end in vowels.

Truly Hawaiian baby names are the same for both boys and girls. However, in recent years, more baby boys names begin with Ke- or Ka-, and more baby girls names end in –lani. There are, however, both baby boys and girls who share these names.

In Hawaiian, particularly in the past, children were called leis, because their parents carried them like leis (around the shoulders). This means that children were referred to as flowers frequently, a tradition evident in the meaning of many Hawaiian names.

Here is a list of the most popular Hawaiian baby names for girls from 2000-2005, including their meanings:

• Leilani – Heavenly lei (meaning royal child)
• Malia – Mary (the Hawaiian version of the name of the Virgin Mary)
• Noelani – Mists of Heaven
• Māhealani – Heavenly gaze, full moon-light
• Kuʻuipo – My sweetheart
• Alana – Awakening
• Keikilani – Heavenly child (similar meaning to Leilani)

Here is a list of the most popular Hawaiian baby names and their meanings for boys from 2000-2005:

• Kalani – Sky or Heavens; also means royal cheiftain
• Kai – Sea
• Kekoa – Brave; the koa tree; the soldier
• Kainoa – Namesake of. See the definition for Nāinoa for some examples of usage.
• Ikaika – Strong
• Kaimana – Diamond; sea of treasures (mana)
• Keoni – The Hawaiian version of the name John
• Makana – Gift
• Nāinoa – Namesake of. This means the same as Kainoa, and so would be used in the context of Nāinoa Kai (namesake of Kai) or Kai Nāinoa (namesake of Kai).

Hawaiian names often sound similar to names from other Pacific Islands, because the Hawaiian language comes from the same family as many other island nations, including Samoan, Maori (New Zealand), and Tahitian. Hawaiian has fewer letters than English, and so Hawaiian names typically begin with the letter A (like Aloha, which means love), H (Hau’oli, which means happiness), I (Ipo, which means sweetheart or lover), K (this is a very common letter to begin names with, such as Kalili, a baby name and the name of a local violet), L (Luana, which means contentment), M (as in Moana, which means sea or ocean), N (Noe, which means misty rain, and is considered a good thing on such a hot island) and P (Pali, which literally means cliff, but means handsome). Less frequently Hawaiian baby names begin with the letter E (‘Ewalani, which means heavenly woman), O (Okalani, which means of the king), U (Ululani, a name of a pass chieftess which means heavenly inspiration), or W (Wailani, or heavenly water).

In Hawaiian, there are a few diacritical marks (notably the apostrophe and the line above certain vowels) that can change the entire meaning of a name. If you choose to Anglicize a Hawaiian name by removing these marks, make sure that you aren’t changing the name into a negative meaning.