| Leilani | Kehlani | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Heavenly flower | the heavens / sea and sky |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | lay-LAH-nee | keh-LAH-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1917 | 2015 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,868) | 2025 (1,981) |
| In 2025 | 3,792 | 1,981 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leilani | Kehlani |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,964 | 11,283 |
| 2010s | 18,160 | 3,198 |
| 2000s | 9,261 | 0 |
| 1990s | 2,166 | 0 |
| 1980s | 1,654 | 0 |
| 1970s | 1,315 | 0 |
| 1960s | 1,011 | 0 |
| 1950s | 713 | 0 |
| 1940s | 810 | 0 |
| 1930s | 345 | 0 |
| 1920s | 56 | 0 |
| 1910s | 11 | 0 |
From Hawaiian 'lei' (flower, garland, lei) + 'lani' (heaven, sky, royal), giving 'heavenly flower' or more literally 'heavenly garland'. The floral element is genuine.
A modern Hawaiian-style name built on 'lani' (sky, heaven), often read as a blend of 'kai' (sea) and 'lani' (sky), giving 'sea and sky'. It is closely related to the traditional Hawaiian name Kalani ('the heavens') and was popularized by the singer Kehlani.
Leilani is more popular than Kehlani today: about 3,792 US babies were given the name Leilani in 2025, compared with 1,981 named Kehlani.
Leilani means Heavenly flower (hawaiian origin), while Kehlani means the heavens / sea and sky (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Leilani first appears in 1917 and Kehlani in 2015, so Leilani has the longer recorded history.