Hawaiian Girl Names: 61 Beautiful Names With Meanings

Hawaiian girl names such as Kailani, Hōkūlani, Mahina, Noelani, Malia and Leilani come from Hawaiian words for the sky, the sea, flowers and beauty, and this list gives a checked meaning for 61 names, including 25 that are used for both girls and boys.

Most Hawaiian names are made from ordinary Hawaiian words, often joined together. Lani (heaven, sky, royal), pua (flower, offspring), lei (flowers, lei, child), nani (beauty) and kai (sea) appear again and again, so once you know a handful of words you can read many names at a glance.

We grouped the names by theme: sky and heaven names, names for beauty and joy, flower and pearl names, Hawaiian forms of familiar names, unisex names and names from Hawaiian mythology. Then come a plain guide to the ʻokina and kahakō, pronunciation, and how to choose a Hawaiian name with respect.

Hawaiian Girl Names at a Glance

Every gender, usage label and meaning on this page was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in October 2026, and the spelling, including the ʻokina and kahakō, is printed exactly as each entry gives it. Where the reference says a meaning is unknown, we say so.

Many Hawaiian names are built from everyday words. One word turns up again and again: lani, which Behind the Name glosses as “heaven, sky, royal, majesty” (and in some entries “chief”). Add it to another word and you get a compound such as Hōkūlani, “heavenly star”, or Noelani, “heavenly mist”. That is why so many of the names in the first table end in -lani.

The table below gathers names of the sky, the heavens, snow, mist and the moon. If you love celestial names in any language, our names that mean moon list is a natural next stop.

Kailani is a good example of a name that has traveled: besides Hawaiian, its entry lists modern use in English and in Latin American Spanish. Mahina, “moon, month”, is shared by Hawaiian and Māori, two related Polynesian languages.

How Hawaiian Names Work: ʻOkina, Kahakō and Meaning

Hawaiian is a living language. The University of Hawaiʻi notes that Hawaiian and English are the two official languages of the State of Hawaiʻi. Before you choose a Hawaiian name, it helps to understand two marks you will see throughout this list.

• The ʻokina: a glottal stop. The University of Hawaiʻi describes it as similar to the sound between the syllables of “oh-oh”. The university’s style guidance calls it a specific punctuation mark and says it is not a single quotation mark, an accent grave or a “tick mark”. You can see it in ʻAilani, Kauʻi and Uʻilani.
• The kahakō: a macron (a line over a vowel). The university explains that it lengthens and adds stress to the marked vowel. You can see it in Hōkūlani, Mālie and Nālani.
• Why the marks matter: they can change the word itself. The University of Hawaiʻi gives the example of pau, which, depending on where the ʻokina and kahakō fall, can mean completed, smudge, moist or skirt. Leaving the marks off a name is not just a style choice: it can make it a different word.

A few patterns also show up again and again in the entries:

• Ka, ke and nā: Hawaiian definite articles (“the”). Many names start with one: Kanani is “the beauty”, Kealoha is “the loved one”, Keala is “the path”, and Nālani is “the heavens” or “the chiefs”.
• Lani: “heaven, sky, royal, majesty”, the most common ending on this page.
• Pua and lei: pua means “flower, offspring” and lei means “flowers, lei, child”. That is why Pualani can be read as “heavenly flower” or “royal offspring”, and Leilani as “heavenly flowers” or “royal child”.
• Nani: “beauty, glory”, as in Haunani and Puanani.

Here is how to read a compound name, using the entries themselves. Pualani is pua (“flower, offspring”) plus lani (“heaven, sky, royal, majesty”), so Behind the Name gives two readings: “heavenly flower” or “royal offspring”. Leimomi is lei plus momi (“pearl”), so it can be “pearl lei” or “pearl child”. Kanani is ka (“the”) plus nani (“beauty, glory”): “the beauty”. Once you see the parts, the tables below read almost like a small vocabulary lesson.

Notice how many entries give two meanings joined by “or”. Hawaiian words often carry more than one sense, so the meaning of a name can depend on the full name and on what the family who chose it intended. Hawaiian names are also often gender-flexible: 26 of the 57 names on Behind the Name’s list of feminine Hawaiian names are listed for boys as well. That is why this page has a large unisex section instead of forcing every name into one box.

One more point of respect. A Hawaiian name is part of a living culture, not a decorative word. If your family does not have Hawaiian roots and you are drawn to one of these names, ask a Hawaiian speaker or a kumu (a teacher of Hawaiian language or culture) about its sense, its pronunciation and how it is usually given before you commit. A short conversation can save you from a meaning you did not intend.

Hawaiian Girl Names That Mean Beautiful, Joyful or Peaceful

These names name qualities rather than things: beauty, joy, calm and song. All five are listed by Behind the Name as feminine.

Mele is a double story: it is the Hawaiian word for “song” and, separately, the Hawaiian, Tongan and Samoan form of Mary. Haunani and Puanani, in the other tables, share the nani element with Nani and Kanani. For more names on this theme from many languages, see our names that mean beautiful list.

Flower, Lei and Pearl Names

Flowers and the lei made from them sit at the heart of many Hawaiian names. Pearls appear too, through the word momi.

Per its entry, Maile comes from the name of a vine that grows in Hawaii and is used in making leis. Pua, Kapua, Lehua, Lei, Kalei and Leilani also belong to this family, but Behind the Name lists them for both girls and boys, so you will find them in the unisex tables below. For botanical names in other languages, try our flower names and nature names lists.

Hawaiian Forms of Familiar Names: Malia, Kiana and More

Some Hawaiian names are Hawaiian forms of names that came to the islands from English and the Bible. They can be a gentle way to honor a grandmother named Mary Katherine or a great-aunt Elizabeth while giving the name a Hawaiian shape. Each row says exactly which name the entry gives as the source.

Malia and Kiana also list English usage, so both are already familiar to many English speakers. Behind the Name has more than one entry spelled Kala; the one here is the Hawaiian form of Sarah.

If you want a Hawaiian form for a family name that is not in this table, look it up in a reliable reference and, ideally, ask a fluent speaker. Many of these forms were adapted to Hawaiian sounds, so a direct guess is easy to get wrong.

Unisex Hawaiian Names Used for Girls

Behind the Name lists each of these as both feminine and masculine, in the order shown in the Gender column. Many Hawaiian names work this way, so a name such as Kalani or Moana is just as much a girl’s name as a boy’s name. For more names that cross over, see our gender neutral names guide.

The first table covers names of the sky, the sea, flowers and the land.

Leilani has an extra bit of history in its entry: it was popularized outside Hawaii by Bing Crosby’s 1937 song “Sweet Leilani”, featured in the movie Waikiki Wedding. Moana is shared by Māori, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Samoan and Tongan, and you will find more sea names in our ocean names list. Keahi, “the fire”, is a warmer choice from the same family of nature words.

The second table gathers unisex names about love, gifts and character.

If you are choosing a unisex name for a daughter, a few practical thoughts. Leilani is the one name in these tables whose entry also lists English usage, so many English speakers already know it. Others come with a famous namesake: the Keanu entry notes that the name is now associated with the Canadian actor Keanu Reeves, which some parents love and others would rather avoid. Neither choice is wrong; it simply helps to decide before the birth certificate, not after.

Makana, “gift”, is a lovely choice for a baby who arrived after a long wait, and Kealoha uses the word aloha, which the entry glosses simply as “love”.

Names From Hawaiian Mythology

A few names come from Hawaiian religious tradition. Behind the Name files the goddess names under Polynesian Mythology, and each entry says plainly that the figure is Hawaiian. We describe them only as the entries do.

Per its entry, Haumea gave her name to a dwarf planet in the outer solar system in 2008. Māui, by contrast, is a trickster figure, and the entry lists the name for both genders with Hawaiian usage.

These are names of sacred figures, and for many Hawaiian families they carry real weight. If you are not part of that tradition, this is the section where asking a kumu or a Hawaiian cultural practitioner matters most.

Short, Long and Unique Picks by Style

Style is a matter of taste, so treat these groupings as our opinion. The meanings come from the tables above.

• Short (four letters or fewer): Lani, Nani, Kala, Momi, Mele, Kai, Pua, Lei and Pele.
• Long and lyrical: Hōkūlani, Leimomi, Kakalina, Elikapeka, Kekepania and Kamalani.
• Familiar to English speakers: Malia, Kiana, Leilani and Kailani, whose entries also list English usage.
• Less heard outside Hawaii: Haukea, Iolana, Mālie, Kōnane, Kawehi and Lilinoe. That is our impression, not a statistic: we have no birth data that would let us call a name rare.
• Strong meanings: Kaimana (“ocean” and “power”), Kaulana (“famous”), ʻAilani (being a chief) and Haumea (“red ruler”).

None of these names appears in the U.S. top 10 for girls born in 2025 published by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and we make no other popularity claims here. You can look up any name yourself with the SSA’s Popularity of a Name search.

How to Say Hawaiian Names and Spell Them on Paperwork

Behind the Name prints pronunciations in the International Phonetic Alphabet. In that system, ʔ is the glottal stop that the ʻokina writes, and ː after a vowel marks the long vowel that the kahakō writes. Compare Hōkūlani, Mālie and Nālani with Kailani and Leilani.

A simple way to practice: listen to a fluent speaker say the name, then say it slowly with your surname, syllable by syllable. Names with an ʻokina, such as ʻAilani and Uʻilani, have a brief catch in the voice where the mark sits.

On paperwork, U.S. records do not always carry accent marks or special characters, so the ʻokina and kahakō may not print on every form. Ask your hospital or birth registration office what can be recorded, and decide early how you will write the name at home, on announcements and in school records so the spelling stays consistent.

Choosing a Hawaiian Name With Care: A Practical Checklist

Some readers have Hawaiian family ties. Others fell in love with a name on a trip or in a song. Either way, these steps are our advice, not rules.

• Start with family: if you have Hawaiian relatives, ask which names, words and spellings run in your family and whether there is a story you want to carry on.
• Read the whole meaning: many entries give two senses joined by “or” (“heavenly flower” or “royal offspring”). Know both before you choose.
• Check with a speaker: ask a Hawaiian speaker or a kumu to confirm the spelling, the ʻokina and kahakō and the pronunciation, especially if you are building a name or choosing one outside your own heritage.
• Keep the marks: an ʻokina or kahakō is part of the spelling, and the University of Hawaiʻi notes that the marks can change a word’s meaning.
• Think about the middle slot: a Hawaiian name works well as a first or a middle name. Our middle names guide covers rhythm and initials.
• Be careful with new combinations: it is tempting to join two words you like into a new name. Because Hawaiian words can carry several senses, and the ʻokina and kahakō change words, a new compound may not mean what you expect. Ask a fluent speaker first.
• Say it out loud: with your surname, and write out the initials.

Pairing ideas within this list, not rules: Mahina Kalea, Noelani Momi, Malia Kanani, Kailani Mele and Hōkūlani Mālie. If you are also weighing names from other traditions, see our Japanese girl names and Korean girl names lists, which use the same checked approach.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Names That Mean Sun
• Names That Mean Fire
• Unique Girl Names
• Short Girl Names
• Ocean Names
• Baby Girl Names

The Bottom Line

Hawaiian girl names are built from words for the sky, the sea, flowers, pearls, beauty and joy, and many of them are shared with boys. Shortlist a few, read the full meaning in each entry, keep the ʻokina and kahakō in the spelling, and, if the name comes from outside your own family, ask a Hawaiian speaker before you settle on it. Then say each name out loud with your surname.

Once the name is chosen, sleep is the next project: our newborn sleep schedule week by week is a gentle place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Hawaiian boy names