How to say it
lei · LA · ni
/leɪˈlɑ.ni/
Feminine
Leilani
Heavenly flowers, royal child
What it means
Hawaiian, lei ('garland, flowers' or 'beloved') + lani ('sky, heavens, royal'). The two halves combine to either 'heavenly flowers' or 'royal child' depending on emphasis.
Leilani is a Hawaiian compound name from lei (which means both 'garland of flowers' and 'beloved') and lani ('sky, heavens, royal one'). The combination produces either 'heavenly flowers' or 'royal child' depending on which reading of lei you favor. The 1937 song Sweet Leilani won the Best Original Song Oscar and gave the name mainland-US visibility. As a given name it's been steady in Hawaiian-American families since and surged in broader US use after 2000. It's been in the US top 200 since 2017. Lei, Lani, and Leila all circulate as shorts.
Popularity over time
peaked at #59 in 2022, currently #60 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
- Nickname
Lei, Lani, and Leila all circulate as shorts. Many Leilanis keep the full three syllables in formal contexts.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Sweet Leilani (1937 song) Harry Owens's Oscar-winning song from Waikiki Wedding, the cultural anchor on the US mainland
Spelling variants
- Lailani
Names with the same feeling
See Leilani from another angle
By meaning