Dalani
A feminine name of African origin meaning "wandering traveler" or "one who goes on an adventure".
Name Census estimates that about 578 living Americans carry the first name Dalani. It is a predominantly female name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Dalani today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalani births was 2023 (94 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalani. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
578
~ 1 in 593,001 Americans
Peak year
2023
94 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#2,246
Tracked since 2000
Census
Dalani in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 234 people with the first name Dalani, which placed it at #34,758 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,758
National first-name rank
People counted
234
234 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
49.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dalani
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dalani is Black at 49.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.6%) and Hispanic (13.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Dalani described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Dalani at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.1% · 115
- White25.6% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 32
- Two or more races8.5% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Dalani
Dalani leans heavily female at 99.0% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Dalani as a male name
- Ranked #11,109 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Dalani as a female name
- Ranked #2,246 in 2024
- 83 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (88 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dalani leans strongly female. 213 people counted with this name were female (88.4%), compared with 28 male bearers (11.6%).
Popularity
Dalani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 341 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dalani by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dalani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Dalanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Dalani, while South Carolina, Michigan, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dalani
The name Dalani finds its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was prevalent in ancient India. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE, during the Vedic period. The name Dalani is derived from the Sanskrit word "dala," which means "branch" or "twig," symbolizing growth, vitality, and connection with nature.
In Hinduism, the name Dalani is associated with the goddess Lakshmi, the embodiment of wealth, prosperity, and beauty. It is thought that some families may have chosen this name in the hopes of invoking the blessings of the goddess upon their children.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dalani can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata. One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Dalani Devi, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 12th century CE in the Indian subcontinent. Her works, which included poetry and commentaries on ancient texts, were widely celebrated during her lifetime.
Another notable figure was Dalani Begum, a powerful ruler of the Suri Empire in the 16th century CE. She was known for her strategic military prowess and her efforts to consolidate the empire's territories. Her reign, though brief, left a lasting impact on the region's political landscape.
In the realm of literature, Dalani Acharya was a prominent writer and philosopher from the 17th century CE. He authored several influential works on Hindu philosophy and spirituality, which continue to be studied and revered by scholars and practitioners to this day.
During the 19th century, Dalani Naidu was a celebrated dancer and choreographer who played a pivotal role in reviving and preserving traditional Indian dance forms. Her contributions to the cultural renaissance of the time were widely acknowledged and celebrated.
In more recent times, Dalani Desai was a pioneering environmentalist and activist from the 20th century. She dedicated her life to raising awareness about ecological conservation and sustainable living practices, inspiring countless individuals and organizations to take action towards protecting the natural world.
Throughout its long history, the name Dalani has carried connotations of grace, strength, and connection to the natural world. Its enduring presence across various cultures and eras serves as a testament to its timeless appeal and the rich tapestry of stories and narratives woven into its origins.
People
Dalani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dalani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 578 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalani going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 593,001 US residents.
Is Dalani a common name?
We classify Dalani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 582 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalani most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalani was 2023, when 94 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalani is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Dalani in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 234 people with the name Dalani, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,758 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Dalani in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Dalani?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Dalani leans strongly female. 213 people counted with this name were female (88.4%), compared with 28 male bearers (11.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Dalani?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Dalani is Black at 49.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.6%) and Hispanic (13.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Dalani most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Dalani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (115 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dalani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dalani a female name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Dalani in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dalani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dalani in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dalani can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Dalani as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Dalani, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.