| Alani | Kailani | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | orange tree | Sea and sky |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-LAH-nee | ky-LAH-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1978 | 1980 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,843) | 2022 (1,350) |
| In 2025 | 1,843 | 1,215 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alani | Kailani |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,825 | 7,301 |
| 2010s | 6,166 | 4,067 |
| 2000s | 2,377 | 1,147 |
| 1990s | 355 | 204 |
| 1980s | 71 | 59 |
| 1970s | 5 | 0 |
From Hawaiian 'alani', meaning 'orange tree' (and the color orange), also linked to a fragrant native tree whose leaves scented cloth. A separate, unrelated name Alana (Celtic) is sometimes confused with it.
A Hawaiian compound of 'kai' (sea) and 'lani' (sky, heaven), commonly rendered 'sea and sky' or 'heavenly sea'.
Alani is more popular than Kailani today: about 1,843 US babies were given the name Alani in 2025, compared with 1,215 named Kailani.
Alani means orange tree (hawaiian origin), while Kailani means Sea and sky (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Alani first appears in 1978 and Kailani in 1980, so Alani has the longer recorded history.