| Kailani | Mahina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sea and sky | Moon |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ky-LAH-nee | mah-HEE-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1980 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,350) | 2022 (53) |
| In 2025 | 1,215 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Kailani | Mahina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,301 | 247 |
| 2010s | 4,067 | 227 |
| 2000s | 1,147 | 128 |
| 1990s | 204 | 69 |
| 1980s | 59 | 11 |
| 1970s | 0 | 5 |
A Hawaiian compound of 'kai' (sea) and 'lani' (sky, heaven), commonly rendered 'sea and sky' or 'heavenly sea'.
Mahina is the Hawaiian word for 'moon, month, moonlight,' from Proto-Polynesian masina, and is linked to the goddess Hina. The lunar meaning is well documented in Hawaiian dictionaries.
Kailani is more popular than Mahina today: about 1,215 US babies were given the name Kailani in 2025, compared with 0 named Mahina.
Kailani means Sea and sky (hawaiian origin), while Mahina means Moon (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Kailani first appears in 1980 and Mahina in 0, so Mahina has the longer recorded history.