Unisex · #341 in 2026

Kalani

Kalani is both a surname and a given name. Some notable people with the name include:

Current Rank
#341
Peak Rank
#339 (2021)
Total Babies
11K
5-Yr Trend
+25%
👧 Girl peak #339 (11K total)
👦 Boy peak #1,724 (2K total)
👧As Girl Name
1963
First Year
2026
Last Year
2021
Peak Year
#339
Peak Rank
11K
Total Count
58
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1959
First Year
2026
Last Year
2009
Peak Year
#1724
Peak Rank
2K
Total Count
63
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kalani

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

Kalani is both a surname and a given name. Some notable people with the name include:

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

The Story of Kalani

As a girl name

Kalani first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1963, with 11 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 959 Kalanis were born — ranking #339 that year. As of 2026, Kalani ranks #341 for girls with 902 births, rising sharply (+25% over the past five years). In total, more than 11K Kalanis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Kalani first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1959, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 86 Kalanis were born — ranking #1,762 that year. As of 2026, Kalani ranks #3,575 for boys with 32 births, falling sharply (-24%). In total, more than 2K Kalanis have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

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 Kalani

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kalani 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 Kalani

What does the name Kalani mean?
Kalani is both a surname and a given name. Some notable people with the name include:
How popular is Kalani in 2026?
In 2026, Kalani ranks #341 among girls' names in the U.S., with 902 babies given the name that year.
When was Kalani most popular?
Kalani reached its peak popularity in 2021, ranking #339 that year with 959 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kalani most popular?
Kalani has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kalani.
Is Kalani a unisex name?
Yes — Kalani is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 83% of Kalanis assigned female and 17% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kalani?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kalani include Iola, Consuelo, Elora. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kalani

Kalani is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1963 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Kalani's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #339. Use the chart and map above to compare Kalani'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.