Leilani is a Hawaiian given name meaning "heavenly garland of flowers" or "royal child". The Hawaiian word lei refers to flowers and lani to the sky or heavens, with an association to royalty.[1][2]

Leilani
The Lei Maker by Theodore Wores, 1901
Origin
Word/nameHawaiian
Meaning“heavenly garland of flowers” or “royal child”
Other names
Related namesLaylana, Laylani, Laylanie, Laylanii, Laylanni, Layliana, Layloni, Laylonie, Laylonni, Leelani, Leighlani, Leihlani, Leilahni, Leilana, Leilanee, Leilanie, Leilanni, Leilanii, Leilanny, Leilany, Leiliana, Leiloni, Lelani, Leliani, Leylani, Leylanie, Leylanni, Leylany

Popularity

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The name has increased in popularity in the United States in recent years. It first appeared among the top 1,000 names for American girls in 1937, the same year that the popular song recorded by Bing Crosby called Sweet Leilani was featured in the film Waikiki Wedding. It has since been in steady use. It has been among the 500 most popular names for newborn American girls since 2001 and was the 59th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2022. Phonetic, created spelling variants of the name are also in regular use.[3] [4] Leilani was among the five most popular names for Black newborn girls in the American state of Virginia in 2022.[5]

People

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References

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  1. ^ "Meaning, origin and history of the name Leilani". behindthename.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Leilani - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity". nameberry.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Popularity for the name Leilani - Behind the Name".
  4. ^ "Popular Baby Names". US Social Security Administration. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Virginia Department of Health's Office of Vital Records Announces Top Fifteen Baby Names of 2022, Other Interesting Virginia Birth Data". 23 January 2023.