girl's name
Alani
a-LAH-nee
- Origin Hawaiian
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 19,238
the United States
#161
2025 births
Alani is a girl's name of Hawaiian origin meaning "orange tree." It is also read as a feminine of Alan, whose own meaning is unresolved — so sources give a confident botanical answer alongside an uncertain Celtic one.
- Alani is a name of Hawaiian origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,849 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,793 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1978.
Alani over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 71 |
| 1990s | 355 |
| 2000s | 2,402 |
| 2010s | 6,218 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,859 |
What Alani means
Alani means the orange tree, or orange as a color, in Hawaiian. Taken as a feminine of Alan it inherits that name's disputed meaning instead, usually given as handsome or harmony.
Where Alani comes from
The Hawaiian ʻalani is the orange tree and its fruit, and by extension the color. That derivation is straightforward. The competing reading treats Alani as an elaboration of Alan, a Breton name whose meaning has never been established — handsome, harmony and little rock are all proposed and none demonstrated. In practice most modern American bearers are named within the -lani cluster with Kehlani, Leilani and Aylani, which shares a Hawaiian ending, and that group's rise is what carries Alani rather than either etymology.
Alani in use
Our data shows Alani peaking in 2025 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1978. It belongs to the -lani family our `names:disputed` work identified — names whose popularity comes from a shared sound rather than a shared origin, and which reference works therefore struggle to explain.
How popular is Alani?
In 2025, Alani was given to 1,849 babies in the United States, ranking #161 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alani is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alani
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alani also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alani over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Alani
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alani in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Polish
- Alana
Sibling names for Alani
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alani — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alani
What does the name Alani mean?
Alani means "orange tree" in Hawaiian. Read as a feminine of Alan it inherits that name's unresolved meaning instead.
Is Alani Hawaiian?
The clearest derivation is Hawaiian, where ʻalani is the orange tree. Most modern use follows the -lani sound group.
Is Alani related to Leilani?
They share the -lani ending, and their popularity moves together — though Leilani means heavenly flowers rather than anything to do with oranges.
How popular is the name Alani?
In 2025, Alani was given to 1,849 babies in the United States, ranking #161 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Alani a girl's or a boy's name?
Alani is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Alani most popular?
Alani peaked in 2025, when 1,849 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alani?
Alani is usually shortened to Lani and Ali.
Is Alani a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alani currently ranks #161 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.