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embrisa.
Theme
Feminine

Ailani

/aɪˈlɑ.ni/

High chief, exalted leader

Hawaiian

How to say it

ai · LA · ni

/aɪˈlɑ.ni/

What it means

Hawaiian compound from ali'i ('chief, royal') + lani ('sky, heaven'), often glossed as 'high chief' or 'exalted leader.' Part of the broader Hawaiian-name wave (Alani, Kalani, Kehlani, Leilani).

Ailani is a Hawaiian compound name from ali'i ('chief, royal') + lani ('sky, heaven'), with the okina (glottal stop) typically dropped in US English usage. Often glossed as 'high chief' or 'exalted leader.' The name surged in US use in the 2010s with the broader Hawaiian-name wave (Alani, Kalani, Kaylani, Kehlani, Leilani). As a US given name Ailani entered the top 1000 in 2014. Common short: Lani or Ai.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #1416618802025

peaked at #168 in 2025, currently #168 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Pronunciation

    eye-LAH-nee, three syllables, stress on the second. The 'ai' is one dipthong (rhymes with 'eye'), not two separate vowels.

Spelling variants

  • Ailanee
  • Aelani