Girl · #11,085 in 2026

Aloha

Aloha is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It can be used to welcome or bid farewell to someone also. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance for native Hawaiians, who use the term to define a force that holds together existence.

Current Rank
#11,085
Peak Rank
#1,303 (1927)
Total Babies
862
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1913
First Year
2020
Last Year
1927
Peak Year
#1303
Peak Rank
862
Total Count
66
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Aloha

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Aloha is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It can be used to welcome or bid farewell to someone also. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance for native Hawaiians, who use the term to define a force that holds together existence.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
Aloha was borrowed from the Hawaiian aloha to the English language. The Hawaiian word has evolved from the Proto-Polynesian greeting *qarofa , which also meant "love, pity, or compassion". It is further thought to be evolved from Proto-Oceanic root *qarop(-i) meaning "feel pity, empathy, be sorry for", which in turn descends from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *h(a)rep. A common folk etymology derives Aloha from Proto-Polynesian roots alo, meaning 'presence' or 'face' and ha, meaning 'breath,' making the literal meaning something close to 'the presence of breath' or 'the face of breath'.

The Story of Aloha

Aloha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1913, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1927, when 37 Alohas were born — ranking #1,303 that year. As of 2026, Aloha ranks #11,085 for baby girls with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 862 Alohas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Aloha

Phonetically similar names — useful when Aloha is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Aloha

What does the name Aloha mean?
Aloha is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It can be used to welcome or bid farewell to someone also. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance for native Hawaiians, who use the term to define a force that holds together existence.
How popular is Aloha in 2026?
In 2026, Aloha ranks #11,085 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.
When was Aloha most popular?
Aloha reached its peak popularity in 1927, ranking #1,303 that year with 37 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Aloha most popular?
Aloha has historically been most popular in California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Aloha.
Is Aloha a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Aloha is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Aloha?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Aloha include Josiephine, Glen, Renda. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Glen
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Renda
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Adalina
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About the name Aloha

Aloha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 862 births in the dataset. Aloha's peak popularity came in 1927 when it ranked #1,303. Use the chart and map above to compare Aloha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.