Girl name · Hawaiian
Leilani
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: heavenly flowers; royal childLeilani is a girl's name that comes from Hawaiian and means "heavenly flowers; royal child". It is used in English and Hawaiian.
- Meaning
- Heavenly flowers; royal child
- Origin
- Hawaiian
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- lay-LAH-nee
Meaning and origin of Leilani
As a girl's name, Leilani comes from Hawaiian and means "heavenly flowers; royal child". It is used in English and Hawaiian.
Say it lay-LAH-nee. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Leilani on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Leilani on 3 lists.
“Heavenly flowers; royal child. Hawaiian, say lay-LAH-nee”
From Angelic names, hawaiian heavenly names
“Heavenly flowers; royal child. Hawaiian, made famous by the 1937 song Sweet Leilani. Say lay-LAH-nee”
From Flower names for girls, flower names from around the world
“Heavenly lei, or royal child; lei plus lani. Say lay-LAH-nee”
From Hawaiian names, female Hawaiian names for girls
How popular is Leilani?
- US rank in 2025
- #60
- 3,792 babies, 2,359 per million girls
- Best rank
- #59 in 2022
- 3,868 babies that year
- Babies since 1917
- At least 56,466
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 5 per million |
| 1930s | 32 per million |
| 1940s | 56 per million |
| 1950s | 37 per million |
| 1960s | 55 per million |
| 1970s | 85 per million |
| 1980s | 96 per million |
| 1990s | 120 per million |
| 2000s | 501 per million |
| 2010s | 1,038 per million |
| 2020s | 2,155 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #159 | #129 | #120 | #107 | #92 | #68 | #59 | #61 | #66 | #60 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Leilani
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LeinaniBeautiful garland (Hawaiian, girl)
- LeolaniHeavenly voice (Hawaiian, girl)
- LeilaNight, from Arabic layl (Arabic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- CelesteHeavenly, of the sky (Latin, girl)
- DianaDivine, heavenly (Latin, girl)
- CelestinoHeavenly (Latin, boy)
- BasilRoyal, kingly (Greek, boy)
- CelestinaHeavenly (Latin, girl)
- CelestineHeavenly (Latin, girl)
- AikoBeloved child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AkikoBright child; autumn child (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
- AmaneHeavenly sound (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
- AngelHeavenly messenger (Greek, unisex)
Middle names for Leilani
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Hawaiian
- AilaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani, to rule as chief, or Aylín (Hawaiian, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- KaiThe sea (Hawaiian, unisex)
- AlaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻalani, orange tree or fruit (Hawaiian, girl)
- AlohaLove, affection (Hawaiian, unisex)
- AlohilaniBright sky (Hawaiian, girl)
- ĀnuenueA rainbow (Hawaiian, girl)
- AolaniHeavenly cloud (Hawaiian, girl)
- AylaniVariant of Ailani, possibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani (Hawaiian, girl)
- HaukeaWhite snow (Hawaiian, girl)
Leilani: common questions
What does the name Leilani mean?
Leilani comes from Hawaiian and means "heavenly flowers; royal child".
Is Leilani a boy or girl name?
Leilani is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Leilani come from?
Leilani comes from Hawaiian and means "heavenly flowers; royal child". Today it is used in English and Hawaiian.
How do you pronounce Leilani?
Say lay-LAH-nee. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How popular is the name Leilani?
Leilani ranked #60 in the US in 2025, with 3,792 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Leilani?
Names spelled like Leilani include Leinani, Leolani and Leila.
What middle names go with Leilani?
Middle names that flow well with Leilani include Agnes, Amber, Anne, Briar and Dawn. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.