| Leilani | Mahina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Heavenly flower | Moon |
| Origin | hawaiian | hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | lay-LAH-nee | mah-HEE-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1917 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,868) | 2022 (53) |
| In 2025 | 3,792 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leilani | Mahina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,964 | 247 |
| 2010s | 18,160 | 227 |
| 2000s | 9,261 | 128 |
| 1990s | 2,166 | 69 |
| 1980s | 1,654 | 11 |
| 1970s | 1,315 | 5 |
| 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.
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.
Leilani is more popular than Mahina today: about 3,792 US babies were given the name Leilani in 2025, compared with 0 named Mahina.
Leilani means Heavenly flower (hawaiian origin), while Mahina means Moon (hawaiian origin).
In US records, Leilani first appears in 1917 and Mahina in 0, so Mahina has the longer recorded history.