| Leilani | Malia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Heavenly flower | Calm, gentle |
| Origin | hawaiian | Hawaiian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | lay-LAH-nee | muh-LEE-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1917 | 1919 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,868) | 2009 (1,700) |
| In 2025 | 3,792 | 872 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Leilani | Malia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,964 | 6,533 |
| 2010s | 18,160 | 11,140 |
| 2000s | 9,261 | 8,205 |
| 1990s | 2,166 | 2,477 |
| 1980s | 1,654 | 1,442 |
| 1970s | 1,315 | 1,027 |
| 1960s | 1,011 | 449 |
| 1950s | 713 | 323 |
| 1940s | 810 | 5 |
| 1930s | 345 | 0 |
| 1920s | 56 | 0 |
| 1910s | 11 | 5 |
From Hawaiian 'lei' (flower, garland, lei) + 'lani' (heaven, sky, royal), giving 'heavenly flower' or more literally 'heavenly garland'. The floral element is genuine.
Malia is a Hawaiian form of Mary, also associated with “calm” waters.
Leilani is more popular than Malia today: about 3,792 US babies were given the name Leilani in 2025, compared with 872 named Malia.
Leilani means Heavenly flower (hawaiian origin), while Malia means Calm, gentle (Hawaiian origin).
In US records, Leilani first appears in 1917 and Malia in 1919, so Leilani has the longer recorded history.