| Kailani | Alani | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sea and sky | orange tree |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ky-LAH-nee | uh-LAH-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1980 | 1978 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,350) | 2025 (1,843) |
| In 2025 | 1,215 | 1,843 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kailani | Alani |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,301 | 9,825 |
| 2010s | 4,067 | 6,166 |
| 2000s | 1,147 | 2,377 |
| 1990s | 204 | 355 |
| 1980s | 59 | 71 |
| 1970s | 0 | 5 |
A Hawaiian compound of 'kai' (sea) and 'lani' (sky, heaven), commonly rendered 'sea and sky' or 'heavenly sea'.
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.
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.
Kailani means Sea and sky (hawaiian origin), while Alani means orange tree (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Kailani first appears in 1980 and Alani in 1978, so Alani has the longer recorded history.