152 Hawaiian Girl Names That Sound Like Ocean Waves and Sunshine (With Meanings & Origins)

There is a particular quality that Hawaiian names carry that no other naming tradition quite replicates. It is the quality of a language shaped entirely by the Pacific, a language that emerged from the extraordinary navigational culture of Polynesian voyagers who crossed the largest ocean in the world using stars and currents and the behavior of birds to find islands no one else had found. Hawaiian is a language that sounds like water, like wind moving through palm fronds, like the specific quality of light on a morning ocean when the sun is still low and the colors are still soft. It carries these qualities not accidentally but structurally, because the Hawaiian language itself was built by people who lived in intimate relationship with these specific natural phenomena.

Hawaiian names are formed from a language of extraordinary elemental simplicity and extraordinary depth simultaneously. Hawaiian has only thirteen letters, five vowels and eight consonants, and every syllable ends in a vowel, which means that Hawaiian words and names have a natural, flowing, musical quality that is built into the language’s architecture. The language also has a specific quality of multiple layered meanings, where a single word can carry several different meanings simultaneously, and where the combination of specific words creates compound meanings that are more than the sum of their parts. A Hawaiian name like Kalaniakea means the wide open sky and the vast expanse of space simultaneously, carrying both a specific local meaning about the sky that appears above the Hawaiian Islands and a broader cosmic meaning about the infinite nature of the universe.

Whether you are drawn to Hawaiian names through Hawaiian heritage, through love of the islands and their culture, through the specific beauty of Hawaiian sounds, or simply through the pleasure of names that carry the ocean and the sunshine simultaneously, this list has 152 Hawaiian girl names that deliver that specific Pacific magic.

Popularity rankings are based on the most recent Social Security Administration (SSA) data.

Quick Info: Names ranked >1000 on the SSA database are considered truly rare and unique. Names closer to 1 are among the most popular in the US today.

Popular and Beloved Hawaiian Girl Names

Leilani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly flower, heavenly lei
• Popularity: #230

One of the most beloved Hawaiian girl names internationally, Leilani combines lei meaning garland or child and lani meaning heavenly or sky, creating a name that carries both the physical beauty of the flower garland and the spiritual quality of heaven in a warm, flowing form.

Kailani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Sea and sky, ocean and heaven
• Popularity: #273

Combining kai meaning sea or ocean with lani meaning sky or heavenly, Kailani is a name of extraordinary beauty that captures the specific quality of the Hawaiian horizon where the ocean meets the sky in a line of perfect, luminous blue.

Malia

• Origin: Hawaiian/Hebrew
• Meaning: Calm and peaceful waters, beloved
• Popularity: #367

The Hawaiian form of Mary carrying both the Hebrew beloved meaning and the specific Hawaiian meaning of calm, peaceful waters, Malia has a warm, flowing quality that connects the biblical tradition with the Hawaiian natural world.

Nalani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The heavens, serenity of the skies
• Popularity: #509

Combining the definite article na with lani meaning sky or heavenly, Nalani carries the specific Hawaiian quality of the sky as a presence, not just a backdrop, with a serenity and depth that is distinctively Pacific.

Kalea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Joy, happiness, bright
• Popularity: #539

Meaning joy and brightness in Hawaiian, Kalea carries a warm, celebratory quality and a clean, flowing sound that captures the specific Hawaiian quality of radiant happiness connected to the natural world.

Alana

• Origin: Hawaiian/Celtic
• Meaning: Awakening, dear child
• Popularity: #289

The Hawaiian word for awakening used as a name alongside its Celtic meaning of dear child, Alana carries a warm, cross-cultural quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of awakening as a spiritual and natural process.

Moana

• Origin: Hawaiian/Polynesian
• Meaning: Ocean, vast body of water
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian and Polynesian word for the ocean itself, Moana carries the vast, powerful, deeply beautiful energy of the Pacific in a name that gained extraordinary international recognition through the Disney film.

Kai

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Sea, ocean, sea water
• Popularity: #242

The Hawaiian word for sea and ocean, Kai carries the entire Pacific in its single syllable with a clean, minimal quality and a deep connection to the ocean that defines Hawaiian life and culture.

Keala

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The path, the way
• Popularity: >1000

Meaning the path or the way in Hawaiian, Keala carries a warm, philosophical quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of one’s life path as a meaningful journey through a beautiful world.

Haunani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beautiful dew, beautiful mist
• Popularity: >1000

Combining hau meaning dew or mist with nani meaning beautiful, Haunani carries the specific Hawaiian quality of the early morning mist that rises from the mountains and carries a cool, luminous beauty.

Names From the Hawaiian Sky and Heavens

Lani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heaven, sky, heavenly
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for heaven and sky used as a name, Lani carries the full expansiveness of the Hawaiian sky that stretches from horizon to horizon above the Pacific with a clean, minimal beauty.

Kalani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The heavens, royalty, chief
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ka the definite article with lani meaning heaven and sky, Kalani carries both the celestial meaning and the royal connotation since the sky was associated with royalty in Hawaiian tradition.

Pōhina

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Misty, hazy, the blue-grey of early morning
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the specific quality of the Hawaiian pre-dawn sky when it turns a soft blue-grey, Pōhina carries a cool, atmospheric quality and a deep connection to the specific light conditions of the Hawaiian morning.

Māhealani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Full moon, heavenly abundance
• Popularity: >1000

Combining māhea meaning hazy or the full moon with lani meaning heavenly, Māhealani carries the warm, abundant light of the full moon as it appears over the Pacific Ocean.

Hōkū

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Star
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for star used as a name, Hōkū carries the celestial navigation heritage of the great Polynesian voyagers who read the stars to cross the Pacific, making this a name with both natural beauty and extraordinary cultural significance.

Hōkūlani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Star of heaven, celestial star
• Popularity: >1000

Combining hōkū meaning star with lani meaning heavenly, Hōkūlani carries a doubled celestial meaning and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of stellar navigation.

Ālohilani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Bright sky, shining heaven
• Popularity: >1000

A beautiful Hawaiian compound meaning bright sky and shining heaven, Ālohilani carries the extraordinary quality of the Hawaiian sky at its most luminous and carries a warm, flowing sound of genuine beauty.

Mālamalama

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Clear light, brilliant light
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the brilliant clear light that is a specific quality of the Hawaiian natural environment, Mālamalama carries a warm, luminous quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of enlightenment through natural light.

Pōkā

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Round like the moon, perfectly circular
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the quality of perfect circular roundness like the full moon, Pōkā carries a warm, slightly unusual Hawaiian quality and a deep connection to the lunar traditions of Hawaiian culture.

Nālehua

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The ōhia lehua blossoms
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the brilliant red ōhia lehua blossoms that are among the first plants to grow on new lava flows, Nālehua carries a fierce, beautiful quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian volcanic landscape.

Names From the Hawaiian Ocean

Kai

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Sea, ocean
• Popularity: #242

Already celebrated above, Kai belongs here as the most fundamental of all Hawaiian ocean names, the word for the sea itself distilled into a single, perfect syllable.

Nalu

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Wave, surf
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the wave and surf, the most characteristic feature of the Hawaiian coastline, Nalu carries a fluid, slightly dramatic quality and a deep connection to the surfing culture that is central to Hawaiian identity.

Āina

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Land, that which feeds, earth
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for the land that feeds its people, Āina carries one of the most profound concepts in Hawaiian culture, the understanding that the land is not simply property but a living ancestor that nourishes all life.

Kai Nani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beautiful sea, lovely ocean
• Popularity: >1000

A compound name combining kai meaning sea with nani meaning beautiful, Kai Nani carries the simple, profound Hawaiian aesthetic of ocean beauty in a warm, double-word form.

Kaimana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Power of the sea, diamond
• Popularity: >1000

Combining kai meaning sea with mana meaning spiritual power, Kaimana carries both the power of the ocean and the broader Hawaiian concept of mana, the divine spiritual power that permeates all things.

Nāwahine

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The women, the female spirit of the sea
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the plural form of wahine meaning woman, Nāwahine carries a warm, collective feminine quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of honoring the feminine spirit of the ocean.

Moanikeala

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Fragrant path, sweet-scented way
• Popularity: >1000

A beautiful Hawaiian compound combining moani meaning fragrant breeze with keala meaning the path, Moanikeala carries the specific Hawaiian quality of a fragrant ocean breeze encountered on a mountain trail.

Kealohailani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The brightness of heaven, the light of the sky
• Popularity: >1000

A long, flowing Hawaiian compound carrying the meaning of heavenly brightness, Kealohailani has the specific Hawaiian quality of elaborate compound naming that creates extraordinary beauty through the combination of simple meaningful elements.

Lāhela

• Origin: Hawaiian/Hebrew
• Meaning: Ewe, gentle
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian form of Rachel carrying the ewe meaning in a warm, flowing Hawaiian form, Lāhela has a gentle, slightly unusual quality and a beautiful Hawaiian phonetic character.

Honolua

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Two harbors, double bay
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the beautiful bay on Maui that is one of the most celebrated surf spots in the world, Honolua carries a warm, geographical quality and a deep connection to the specific Hawaiian seascape.

Names From Hawaiian Flowers and Plants

Pikake

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Peacock, jasmine flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the pikake jasmine flower that is one of the most beloved in Hawaiian lei-making, Pikake carries a warm, fragrant quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of flower cultivation and the art of the lei.

Pua

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Flower, blossom
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for flower and blossom used as a name, Pua carries the fresh, clean beauty of the Hawaiian floral tradition and a warm, minimal quality that captures the essence of the island’s extraordinary botanical richness.

Nohea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beautiful, lovely, handsome
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for beautiful and lovely used as a name, Nohea carries a warm, direct celebration of beauty and a deep connection to the Hawaiian aesthetic tradition.

Puamana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Flower with power, powerful blossom
• Popularity: >1000

Combining pua meaning flower with mana meaning spiritual power, Puamana carries both the botanical beauty of the Hawaiian flower and the broader concept of spiritual power that permeates all things in Hawaiian philosophy.

Lehua

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Ōhia lehua blossom, warrior
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the bright red ōhia lehua blossom that is the official flower of the Big Island of Hawaii and is associated in Hawaiian legend with two lovers separated by Pele, Lehua carries both botanical beauty and a legendary love story.

Puakenikeni

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Ten-cent flower, fragrant flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the puakenikeni flower beloved in Hawaiian lei-making for its extraordinary fragrance, Puakenikeni carries a warm, aromatic quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of floral cultivation.

Kukui

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Candlenut tree, light, enlightenment
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the kukui or candlenut tree, the official state tree of Hawaii whose nuts were used for lamp oil and whose connection to light gave it deep spiritual significance, Kukui carries both a botanical and a philosophical heritage.

Awapuhi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Wild ginger
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the wild ginger plant that grows abundantly in the wet forests of Hawaii and whose fragrant flowers were used in lei-making and whose juice was used in traditional Hawaiian medicine, Awapuhi carries a warm, aromatic botanical heritage.

Naupaka

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Half flower, the divided flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the naupaka plant whose flowers look like they have been split in half, associated in Hawaiian legend with two lovers who were separated, one going to the mountains and one to the shore, Naupaka carries a poignant, romantic heritage.

Lokelani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly rose, small rose of heaven
• Popularity: >1000

Combining loke meaning rose with lani meaning heavenly, Lokelani is the official flower of the island of Maui and carries a warm, romantic quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of naming flowers after heaven.

Names Meaning Beauty and Grace

Nani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beautiful, pretty, lovely
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for beautiful and lovely used as a name, Nani carries a warm, direct celebration of beauty that is characteristic of Hawaiian naming culture’s honest appreciation of natural loveliness.

Maikoa

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beautiful and brave, lovely warrior
• Popularity: >1000

Combining mai meaning beautiful with koa meaning brave warrior, Maikoa carries a powerful combination of beauty and courage that is characteristic of the Hawaiian tradition of names that hold multiple virtues simultaneously.

Aolani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly cloud, cloud of heaven
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ao meaning cloud with lani meaning heavenly, Aolani carries the soft, floating quality of the clouds that wrap around the Hawaiian mountain peaks and carry the rain that makes the islands so extraordinarily lush.

Noelani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Mist of heaven, heavenly mist
• Popularity: >1000

Combining noe meaning mist or fog with lani meaning heavenly, Noelani carries the specific Hawaiian quality of the mountain mist that rises from the valleys and catches the light in a way that seems almost supernatural.

Keilana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Calmly and with beauty, serene beauty
• Popularity: >1000

A Hawaiian name meaning calmly and with beauty, Keilana carries the specific Hawaiian aesthetic of serene beauty and a warm, flowing quality that connects natural calm with natural loveliness.

Kanani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The beautiful one, beauty
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ka the definite article with nani meaning beautiful, Kanani means the beautiful one with a warm, direct quality that is characteristic of Hawaiian naming.

Pualani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly flower, royal child
• Popularity: >1000

Combining pua meaning flower with lani meaning heavenly or royal, Pualani carries both the botanical beauty of the Hawaiian flower and the celestial quality of the heavens in a warm, flowing compound.

Māhina

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Moon, moonlight, month
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for moon and moonlight used as a name, Māhina carries the cool, luminous quality of the full moon reflected on the Pacific Ocean and a deep connection to the Hawaiian lunar calendar.

Haliaka

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Leader of the hale, chief of the house
• Popularity: >1000

Combining hale meaning house with aka meaning shadow or reflection, Haliaka carries a warm, leadership quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of the hale or house as a center of community.

Keolani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly mist, divine vapor
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ke meaning the with olani carrying a misty, heavenly quality, Keolani has a cool, atmospheric quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian experience of sacred mist.

Names From Hawaiian Mythology and Legend

Pele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Lava, volcano goddess
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire who created the Hawaiian Islands through her volcanic activity, Pele carries one of the most dramatically powerful mythological legacies in Hawaiian culture and a name that literally means the volcanic lava.

Hina

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Moon goddess, silver-grey
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian moon goddess who lives in the moon and whose story is one of the most important in Hawaiian mythology, Hina carries a cool, luminous quality and an extraordinary mythological heritage.

Hiʻiaka

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Bundle held close, the egg holder
• Popularity: >1000

The younger sister of the goddess Pele whose story of journeying through the Hawaiian landscape to bring back Pele’s lover is one of the most important in Hawaiian mythology, Hiʻiaka carries both a deep mythological heritage and a specific connection to the Hawaiian landscape.

Kapo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The darkness, the sacred dark
• Popularity: >1000

A Hawaiian goddess associated with the hula and with dark magic, Kapo carries a cool, slightly mysterious quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of sacred darkness as a dimension of divine power.

Laka

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Docile, gentle, tamed
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian goddess of the hula whose gentle, cultivating energy makes her the patroness of dancers and forests, Laka carries a warm, slightly unusual quality and a profound mythological heritage.

Haumea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Red ruler, abundance
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility, one of the most important goddesses in the Hawaiian pantheon, Haumea carries an extraordinary mythological heritage and a warm, abundant quality.

Kāne

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Man, the god of life
• Popularity: >1000

While primarily a male name, Kāne as the great Hawaiian god of sunlight, fresh water, and life is occasionally used for girls in some traditions and carries the divine heritage of one of the most important Hawaiian deities.

Nāmakaokaha’i

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Eyes of Haka’i, the sea goddess
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian sea goddess who is the sister of Pele, Nāmakaokaha’i carries a profound mythological heritage and the specific Hawaiian connection between the sea goddess and the volcano goddess.

Papahānaumoku

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Earth mother, the mother who gives birth to islands
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian earth mother goddess from whose union with Wākea the sky father all the Hawaiian Islands were born, Papahānaumoku carries one of the most profound creation heritage names in Hawaiian mythology.

Poliahu

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Snow mantle, wrapped in snow
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian snow goddess who dwells on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, Poliahu carries a cool, slightly regal quality and a deep mythological heritage as the goddess who presides over the snow-capped peak.

Names Meaning Joy and Happiness

Alohilani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Bright sky, heavenly brightness
• Popularity: >1000

A beautiful Hawaiian compound name meaning bright sky and heavenly brightness, Alohilani carries the specific Hawaiian quality of the sky as an expression of divine joy and carries a warm, luminous sound.

Hauoli

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Happy, joyful, glad
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for happy and joyful used as a name, Hauoli carries a warm, celebratory quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian value of happiness as a natural state connected to living in harmony with the natural world.

Onaona

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Sweet fragrance, gentle softness
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the sweet fragrance that is carried by the Hawaiian trade winds, Onaona carries a warm, sensory quality and a deep connection to the specific aromatic experience of the Hawaiian natural environment.

Mele

• Origin: Hawaiian/Hebrew
• Meaning: Song, beloved, poem
• Popularity: >1000

Carrying both the Hawaiian meaning of song and poem and the Hebrew meaning of beloved through its connection to Mary, Mele has a warm, musical, cross-cultural quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian musical tradition.

Aloha

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Love, peace, compassion, hello, goodbye
• Popularity: >1000

The great Hawaiian concept of aloha that carries the meanings of love, peace, compassion, and the divine breath of life that connects all beings, Aloha is perhaps the most philosophically rich single word in the Hawaiian language.

Kilakila

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Majestic, awe-inspiring
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for majestic and awe-inspiring used as a name, Kilakila carries the specific Hawaiian aesthetic of natural majesty and a deep connection to the awe-inspiring quality of the Hawaiian landscape.

Mālia

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Calm, peaceful, serene
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for calm and peaceful waters used as a name, Mālia carries a warm, serene quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian experience of the calm sea in the early morning before the trade winds rise.

Noenoe

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Mist, foggy, hazy
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the mist and fog that rolls through the Hawaiian valleys, Noenoe carries a cool, slightly atmospheric quality and a deep connection to the specific Hawaiian landscape of cloud-wrapped mountains.

Kupulau

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Springtime, the growing season
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the Hawaiian concept of spring and the growing season when the land renews itself, Kupulau carries a warm, seasonal quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian agricultural and natural calendar.

Holu

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: To sway gently, swaying of trees
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the gentle swaying of the palm trees in the trade winds, Holu carries a warm, slightly poetic quality and a deep connection to the specific Hawaiian experience of the wind moving through the landscape.

Names From the Hawaiian Natural World

Kahananui

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Great work, the big deed
• Popularity: >1000

A Hawaiian name meaning great work and important deed, Kahananui carries a warm, aspirational quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of honoring significant achievement.

Kameha

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The lonely one, solitary one
• Popularity: >1000

Derived from elements of the great Kamehameha name, Kameha carries a warm, slightly philosophical quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian royal tradition.

Wailana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Calm waters, still water
• Popularity: >1000

Combining wai meaning water with lana meaning calm or floating, Wailana carries the specific Hawaiian quality of perfectly still water reflecting the sky and a warm, serene quality.

Waileia

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Dancing water, water swirling
• Popularity: >1000

Combining wai meaning water with leia meaning flowing or dancing, Waileia carries the dynamic quality of Hawaiian freshwater streams dancing down mountain slopes.

Waiola

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Water of life, living water
• Popularity: >1000

Combining wai meaning water with ola meaning life or health, Waiola carries the profound Hawaiian concept of water as the source of all life and a deep connection to the Hawaiian relationship with freshwater as sacred.

Kawailani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly water, divine rain
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ka the article with wai meaning water and lani meaning heavenly, Kawailani carries the Hawaiian concept of rain as a divine gift from heaven and a warm, flowing quality.

Ukiuki

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Blue native lily, the Hawaiian lily
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the ukiuki, the beautiful native Hawaiian lily plant that produces blue-black berries, Ukiuki carries a cool, slightly unusual botanical quality and a deep connection to the endemic plants of the Hawaiian Islands.

Kololia

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Gloria, glory
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian form of Gloria carrying the glory meaning in a warm, flowing Hawaiian form, Kololia has a beautiful phonetic quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian Catholic naming tradition.

Kaulana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Famous, well-known, celebrated
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for famous and celebrated used as a name, Kaulana carries a warm, confident quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of honoring those who achieve recognition.

Kehau

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Dew, the dew
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the dew that forms on the Hawaiian mountain plants in the cool pre-dawn hours, Kehau carries a cool, fresh quality and a deep connection to the specific morning experience of the Hawaiian landscape.

Names Honoring Hawaiian Royalty

Kaʻiulani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The royal sacred one, heavenly royal child
• Popularity: >1000

The name of Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani, the last heir apparent of the Hawaiian Kingdom whose early death in 1899 ended the hopes of the Hawaiian royal family, Kaʻiulani carries an extraordinary historical heritage and a profound, slightly melancholy royal quality.

Liliʻuokalani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Smarting of the royal ones, the burning pain
• Popularity: >1000

The name of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii whose overthrow in 1893 ended the Hawaiian Kingdom, Liliʻuokalani carries one of the most important and poignant names in Hawaiian history.

Kamamalu

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The eye of the bird, royal shade
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the great Hawaiian queen Kamamalu who was the favorite wife of Kamehameha II and who died in London from measles in 1824, Kamamalu carries an extraordinary royal heritage and a warm, slightly melancholy quality.

Kapiolani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Bowl of the heavens, arch of heaven
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the great Hawaiian chiefess Kapiʻolani who defied the goddess Pele by descending into the Kilauea volcano without being harmed, and after the beloved Queen Kapiʻolani, wife of King Kalākaua, this name carries extraordinary courage and royal heritage.

Nāhienaena

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The soft warmth of the gods
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the Hawaiian princess Nāhienaena whose tragic story of being caught between traditional Hawaiian culture and the new Christianity brought by missionaries made her one of the most poignant figures in Hawaiian history.

Keōpūolani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The gathering of clouds in heaven
• Popularity: >1000

The name of the most sacred chiefess in Hawaiian history, the Sacred Wife of Kamehameha I and mother of the future kings Liholiho and Kauikeaouli, Keōpūolani carries an extraordinary royal heritage.

Pauahi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Destroyed by fire, transformed by fire
• Popularity: >1000

The name of the great Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop whose estate funded the Kamehameha Schools providing education for Hawaiian children and whose philanthropic legacy has been one of the most important in Hawaiian history.

Kekaulike

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The equal one, the evenhanded
• Popularity: >1000

The name of a great Hawaiian chiefess who was an ancestor of Queen Kapiʻolani, Kekaulike carries a warm, slightly regal quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian chiefly tradition.

Manono

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Quiet, still, peaceful
• Popularity: >1000

A Hawaiian name meaning quiet and still, associated with the wife of the famous Hawaiian rebel Liholiho, Manono carries a cool, serene quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of peaceful dignity.

Kealiʻi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The chief, the royalty
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the concept of chiefly royalty in Hawaiian culture, Kealiʻi carries the full weight of the Hawaiian chiefly tradition and a warm, dignified quality.

Names From Hawaiian Music and Hula

Māpuana

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Fragrant breeze, sweet-smelling wind
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the fragrant breeze that carries the scent of flowers across the Hawaiian landscape, Māpuana carries a warm, aromatic quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian musical tradition where this image appears frequently in hula songs.

Hula

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Dance, the sacred dance
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the great Hawaiian dance tradition that is one of the most sophisticated and profound artistic practices in Polynesian culture, Hula carries an extraordinary cultural heritage and a warm, moving quality.

Kahanamoku

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The royal enclosure, the forbidden place
• Popularity: >1000

The surname of the great Hawaiian Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku who introduced surfing to the world, Kahanamoku carries an extraordinary sporting and cultural legacy.

Keliʻi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The chief, leader
• Popularity: >1000

A Hawaiian name meaning the chief and leader, Keliʻi carries a warm, leadership quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian chiefly tradition.

Punahele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Favorite, cherished, beloved
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for favorite and cherished used as a name, Punahele carries a warm, deeply affectionate quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian practice of naming children with words that express how beloved they are.

Hāliʻa

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Remembrance, fond memory
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the concept of fond remembrance and cherished memory, Hāliʻa carries a warm, slightly wistful quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of honoring the past.

ʻIlima

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The ʻilima flower
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the ʻilima flower, the official flower of the island of Oʻahu whose small golden-orange blossoms were woven into leis that only royalty could wear, ʻIlima carries both botanical beauty and a royal heritage.

Kūpuna

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Elder, ancestor, grandparent
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the concept of the respected elder and ancestor in Hawaiian culture, Kūpuna carries a profound respect for ancestry and the wisdom of age that is central to Hawaiian values.

Pehea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: How are you, what kind
• Popularity: >1000

A distinctly Hawaiian name carrying the greeting quality, Pehea has a warm, conversational quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian cultural emphasis on genuine care for the wellbeing of others.

Kaʻahele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: To travel, to go around
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the concept of traveling and going around, connecting to the great Polynesian tradition of ocean navigation, Kaʻahele carries a warm, adventurous quality and a deep connection to the seafaring heritage.

Names From the Hawaiian Elements

Makani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Wind, the wind
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for wind used as a name, Makani carries the specific quality of the Hawaiian trade winds that blow steadily from the northeast and define the climate, agriculture, and sensory experience of island life.

Uahi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Smoke, volcanic smoke
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the volcanic smoke that rises from the active volcanoes of Hawaii, Uahi carries a dramatic, elemental quality and a deep connection to the volcanic heritage that makes Hawaii one of the most geologically dynamic places on earth.

Wela

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heat, warmth, hot
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the warmth and heat of the Hawaiian sun and the volcanic earth, Wela carries a warm, vibrant quality and a deep connection to the specific thermal experience of the Hawaiian Islands.

Ānuenue

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Rainbow
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for rainbow used as a name, Ānuenue carries the extraordinary visual beauty of the Hawaiian rainbow that appears so frequently in the island’s moist, sunny climate and is deeply sacred in Hawaiian tradition.

Ua

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Rain, rainfall
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for rain used as a name, Ua carries the clean, life-giving quality of the Hawaiian rain that falls on the windward slopes of the mountains and creates the lush green landscapes that make the islands so beautiful.

Pōhaku

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Stone, rock
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the stone and rock that are the fundamental material of the volcanic Hawaiian Islands, Pōhaku carries a solid, elemental quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian reverence for the stones that make up the islands.

Lipo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Deep, the depths, dark blue
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the deep blue of the Hawaiian ocean and the depths of the sea, Lipo carries a cool, slightly mysterious quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian relationship with the ocean depths.

Ola

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Life, health, wellbeing
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for life and health used as a name, Ola carries one of the most fundamentally positive meanings in the Hawaiian language and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of wellbeing as the natural condition of those who live in harmony with nature.

Hau

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Dew, cool, freshness
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the cool freshness of the Hawaiian morning dew, Hau carries a clean, slightly cool quality and a deep connection to the specific sensory experience of the Hawaiian dawn.

Pili

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: To cling, to be close, native grass
• Popularity: >1000

Carrying both the meaning of clinging closeness and the name of the pili grass that was used in traditional Hawaiian house construction, Pili has a warm, slightly botanical quality and a deep connection to Hawaiian building traditions.

Names From Hawaiian Colors and Light

Keʻōkeʻo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: White, pure white
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the color white and pure whiteness, Keʻōkeʻo carries the clean, luminous quality of the white sand beaches and the white foam of breaking waves that define the Hawaiian coastal experience.

ʻUlalena

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Reddish rain, reddish mist
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the reddish mist and rain that sometimes occurs in the Hawaiian volcanic landscape, ʻUlalena carries a cool, slightly dramatic quality and a deep connection to the specific atmospheric phenomena of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hinahina

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Silver-grey, the hinahina plant
• Popularity: >1000

Named after both the silver-grey color and the hinahina or beach heliotrope, one of the native coastal plants of Hawaii, Hinahina carries a cool, silvery quality and a deep botanical heritage.

Poni

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Purple, violet color
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for the color purple used as a name, Poni carries a cool, slightly regal quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of using color words as names.

Melemele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Yellow, the color yellow
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian word for the color yellow, the color of the Hawaiian sun and the hibiscus flower, used as a name, Melemele carries a warm, sunny quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian appreciation for the yellow warmth of the tropical sun.

ʻUlili

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Wandering tattler, the shore bird
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the ʻulili or wandering tattler, a shore bird that migrates from Alaska to Hawaii each year, ʻUlili carries a cool, slightly unusual quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian tradition of bird naming.

Kōlea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Pacific golden plover, the migratory bird
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the kōlea or Pacific golden plover that migrates from Alaska to Hawaii each year and is deeply loved in Hawaiian culture for its faithfulness in returning, Kōlea carries a warm, slightly migratory quality.

Pueo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Hawaiian short-eared owl
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the pueo, the native Hawaiian owl that is considered a powerful guardian spirit in Hawaiian culture and is one of the most sacred birds in the Hawaiian tradition, Pueo carries a profound spiritual heritage.

Nēnē

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Hawaiian goose, the state bird
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the nēnē, the Hawaiian goose that is the state bird of Hawaii and which survived near-extinction to become a symbol of Hawaiian conservation, Nēnē carries a warm, slightly political quality.

Kolea

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Golden plover bird
• Popularity: >1000

The golden plover that returns faithfully each year to Hawaii from its Arctic breeding grounds, Kolea carries a warm, migratory quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian experience of faithful return.

Rarely Used but Extraordinarily Beautiful Names

Kalikookalani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The heavenly sun’s reflection on the water
• Popularity: >1000

A long, flowing Hawaiian compound name carrying the extraordinary image of sunlight reflected on the surface of the Pacific Ocean, Kalikookalani has the specific Hawaiian quality of elaborate compound naming that creates unique beauty.

Moanakalei

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The ocean’s gentle waves
• Popularity: >1000

A beautiful Hawaiian compound combining moana meaning ocean with kalei meaning gentle waves, Moanakalei carries the specific quality of the Pacific in its calmest, most beautiful state.

Kāwika

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Beloved, from David
• Popularity: >1000

The Hawaiian form of David carrying the beloved meaning in a warm, flowing Hawaiian form, Kāwika is primarily used for boys but occasionally for girls and has a beautiful Hawaiian phonetic quality.

Hiʻiakaikapoliopele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Hiʻiaka held in the bosom of Pele
• Popularity: >1000

The full sacred name of the goddess Hiʻiaka, the younger sister of Pele, this extraordinary long compound name carries one of the most profound mythological meanings in Hawaiian culture.

Palikū

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Vertical cliff, cliff face
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the dramatic vertical cliffs that characterize the Na Pali Coast of Kauai and other Hawaiian coastal landscapes, Palikū carries a dramatic, elemental quality and a deep connection to the specific geology of the Hawaiian Islands.

Māhoeʻula

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Red twins, the two red ones
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the two reddish stars of the constellation Gemini as understood in the Hawaiian astronomical tradition, Māhoeʻula carries a cool, celestial quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian knowledge of the night sky.

Kaʻōhele

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: The traveling one, the wanderer
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the concept of purposeful wandering and traveling, connecting to the great Polynesian tradition of ocean navigation, Kaʻōhele carries a warm, adventurous quality.

Manowaikū

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Still water, depth of water
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the still, deep waters of the Hawaiian sea, Manowaikū carries a cool, contemplative quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian experience of the ocean depths.

Ululani

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Heavenly inspiration, inspired by heaven
• Popularity: >1000

Combining ulu meaning to grow or inspiration with lani meaning heavenly, Ululani carries a warm, aspirational quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian concept of divine inspiration.

Pōwehiwehi

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: Dark and mysterious, in the darkness
• Popularity: >1000

Named after the quality of sacred darkness and mystery in Hawaiian tradition, Pōwehiwehi carries a cool, slightly mysterious quality and a deep connection to the Hawaiian understanding of darkness as a sacred dimension.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the most popular Hawaiian girl names internationally?

A: According to naming data, Leilani and Kailani have been the most successful Hawaiian girl names in mainstream American naming. Malia has been rising strongly. Alana, Kai, and Moana have all crossed into mainstream use with varying degrees of success. Among more traditionally Hawaiian names, Nalani and Kalea have been gaining recognition. The names that have been most successful internationally tend to be those with accessible pronunciations for English speakers.

Q: What is the significance of the ʻokina and kahakō in Hawaiian names?

A: The ʻokina is the glottal stop symbol that looks like an inverted apostrophe and represents an actual consonant in the Hawaiian language, a brief pause in the flow of sound. The kahakō is the macron, a line over a vowel that indicates it should be held for a longer duration. Both of these marks are essential to the correct pronunciation and meaning of Hawaiian names. Hiʻiaka and Hiika are different words with different meanings. Many Hawaiian names are written without these marks in English-language contexts, but the marks are important to the Hawaiian language and its speakers.

Q: What is the cultural significance of Hawaiian names?

A: Hawaiian names carry profound cultural significance in several ways. Names in Hawaiian culture are considered to carry a portion of the mana or spiritual power of the person who bears them. Many Hawaiian names were given after careful thought, prayer, and sometimes divine inspiration through dreams. Names often reference specific natural phenomena, divine figures, or historical events that were significant at the time of the child’s birth. Naming a child with a traditional Hawaiian name is considered an act of cultural preservation and a connection to the rich heritage of the Hawaiian people.

Q: Are Hawaiian names appropriate for non-Hawaiian families to use?

A: This is a question that different people answer differently. Some Hawaiian cultural practitioners express concern about non-Hawaiians adopting Hawaiian names without understanding their cultural context. Others welcome the sharing of Hawaiian names as a form of appreciation and connection. The most thoughtful approach is to learn the meaning and cultural context of any Hawaiian name you are considering, to pronounce it correctly including the ʻokina and kahakō, and to be prepared to explain its meaning and heritage to your child and to others.

Q: What makes Hawaiian names sound like ocean waves and sunshine?

A: Hawaiian names sound like ocean waves and sunshine because they were created in a language whose phonetic structure mirrors these specific natural experiences. Hawaiian has only thirteen letters and every syllable ends in a vowel, creating a flowing, wave-like quality where each syllable opens into the next without harsh consonants interrupting the flow. The repeated vowel sounds in names like Leilani, Kailani, and Mahealani create a rising and falling rhythm that mimics the movement of waves. And the specific meanings of Hawaiian names, referring so frequently to the sky, the ocean, the flowers, and the light, carry sunshine and ocean water into the very heart of each name’s meaning.

Conclusion

Hawaiian girl names carry something that very few other naming traditions can offer, the specific quality of a language and culture shaped entirely by the Pacific Ocean and the extraordinary volcanic landscapes of the Hawaiian Islands, a tradition that understood the world as alive with mana or divine power that permeates every wave and flower and cloud and mountain and star. Whether you choose a beloved classic like Leilani or Kailani, a mythological treasure like Pele or Hiʻiaka, a nature name like Makani or Ānuenue, a floral beauty like Pikake or Lokelani, a royal name like Kaʻiulani or Kapiolani, a celestial wonder like Hōkū or Māhina, or one of the extraordinarily rare and beautiful compound names that the Hawaiian language produces with such breathtaking abundance, you are giving your daughter a name that carries the ocean and the sunshine in its very sound and the ancient, living culture of the Hawaiian people in its very meaning. Take your time with this list, say the names aloud and feel the waves in their rhythm, and trust that the right Hawaiian name will find you.

Which name is your favorite? I would love to hear in the comments below!