Lehlani
A feminine Hawaiian name meaning "laurel tree adorned with heavenly flowers".
Name Census estimates that about 268 living Americans carry the first name Lehlani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lehlani today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lehlani births was 2023 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lehlani. 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
268
~ 1 in 1,278,934 Americans
Peak year
2023
45 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,779
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Lehlani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lehlani from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 198 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
Lehlani 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 Lehlani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lehlanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Lehlani, while Louisiana, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lehlani
The name Lehlani is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language. It is a relatively modern name, with no known ancient or historical references. The name appears to be a combination of the Hawaiian words "lehe" meaning "tongue" or "voice" and "lani" meaning "heaven" or "sky." This suggests that the name Lehlani may have been intended to convey a meaning of "heavenly voice" or "voice from the heavens."
While the name Lehlani does not have a long historical lineage, it has gained popularity in recent decades, particularly in the United States. One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Lehlani can be found in the 1999 novel "The Descendants" by Hawaiian author Kaui Hart Hemmings, where it is the name of one of the main characters.
Due to its relatively recent emergence, there are not many notable historical figures who bore the name Lehlani. However, here are five individuals who have carried this name:
1. Lehlani Koanui (born 1984) is a Hawaiian singer and songwriter known for her work in the Hawaiian music genre.
2. Lehlani Kaiwi (born 1992) is a Hawaiian hula dancer and choreographer who has performed and taught around the world.
3. Lehlani Kahalepuna (born 1987) is a Hawaiian athlete who competed in the heptathlon and represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
4. Lehlani Ahupua'a (born 1981) is a Hawaiian painter and artist known for her vibrant depictions of Hawaiian landscapes and culture.
5. Lehlani Kalama (born 1995) is a Hawaiian activist and community organizer who has worked on issues related to indigenous rights and environmental protection.
While the name Lehlani may be relatively new, its Hawaiian roots and connection to the concepts of voice and heaven have helped it gain a unique and meaningful place in the world of given names.
People
Lehlani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lehlani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lehlani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lehlani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 268 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lehlani 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 1,278,934 US residents.
Is Lehlani a common name?
We classify Lehlani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 270 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lehlani most popular?
The single biggest year for Lehlani was 2023, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lehlani is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Lehlani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lehlani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lehlani 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 Lehlani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lehlani 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 Lehlani 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Lehlani?
Want to know how many people share the name Lehlani? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.