Okalani
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "divine, heavenly".
Name Census estimates that about 44 living Americans carry the first name Okalani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Okalani today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Okalani births was 2017 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Okalani. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Okalani. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
44
~ 1 in 7,789,871 Americans
Peak year
2017
10 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,995
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Okalani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Okalani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 27 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Okalani remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Okalani 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 Okalani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Okalani
Okalani is a given name of Hawaiian origin, derived from the words "oka" meaning "life" and "lani" meaning "heaven" or "sky." This name reflects the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the indigenous Hawaiian people, who revered the natural world and viewed life as a sacred gift from the heavens.
The earliest recorded use of the name Okalani can be traced back to the late 18th century, when the Hawaiian Islands were first encountered by Western explorers and missionaries. During this period, many Hawaiians adopted Christian names, often combining them with traditional Hawaiian elements to create unique and meaningful monikers.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the name Okalani was Okalani Kānehoalani, a Hawaiian noble and advisor to King Kamehameha I, who played a pivotal role in the unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. Kānehoalani's birth and death dates are unknown, but historical records indicate his influence during this significant period in Hawaiian history.
Another prominent figure named Okalani was Okalani Kaulukukui, a celebrated Hawaiian musician and composer who lived from 1829 to 1896. Kaulukukui was renowned for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hawaiian music, and his compositions continue to be cherished by the Hawaiian community today.
In the late 19th century, Okalani Kalama, born in 1848 and died in 1920, gained recognition as a prominent Hawaiian educator and advocate for the rights of Native Hawaiians. Kalama established several schools and worked tirelessly to promote the Hawaiian language and culture during a period of significant social and political upheaval in the islands.
In more recent times, Okalani Keaupuni, born in 1937, has made significant contributions to the Hawaiian community as a respected kumu hula (hula teacher) and cultural practitioner. Keaupuni has dedicated her life to preserving and perpetuating the ancient traditions of hula and Hawaiian chanting, ensuring the continuation of these vital cultural practices for future generations.
The name Okalani has also been carried by notable figures outside of Hawaii, such as Okalani Alapa'i, a Samoan-American musician and composer born in 1950, who has contributed to the preservation and promotion of traditional Samoan music and dance.
People
Okalani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Okalani as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Okalani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Okalani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 44 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Okalani 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 7,789,871 US residents.
Is Okalani a common name?
We classify Okalani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 44 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Okalani most popular?
The single biggest year for Okalani was 2017, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Okalani is about 9 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 Okalani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Okalani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Okalani 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 Okalani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Okalani 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 Okalani 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 people are called Okalani?
Find out how many people have the name Okalani on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.