girl's name
Malani
muh-LAH-nee
- Origin Disputed
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 7,137
the United States
#374
2025 births
Malani is a girl's name of uncertain origin. It is read as a Hawaiian compound, as a Sanskrit name for a garland-maker, and as a modern American formation on the pattern of Melanie and Leilani — sources do not agree, and none is established.
- Malani is a name of Disputed origin.
- Peaked in 2024, when 943 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,033 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1977.
Malani 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 | 6 |
| 1980s | 13 |
| 1990s | 34 |
| 2000s | 287 |
| 2010s | 1,979 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,798 |
What Malani means
Malani has no confirmed meaning. The Hawaiian reading gives something like the calm or the sky; the Sanskrit malini names a woman who makes garlands; and much American use is simply a sound on the pattern of Leilani.
Where Malani comes from
Malani is claimed by several traditions without clearly belonging to any. Hawaiian has malani as a possible compound of elements including lani, sky, though it is not a standard Hawaiian name in the way Leilani or Kalani are. Sanskrit malini, from mala, a garland, names a garland-maker and is a genuine Indian name. And in American use Malani appears alongside Melanie, Milani and Leilani, all of which share a rhythm. Our records show it from 1977, rising sharply through the 2010s — a shape that fits the third explanation better than the first two.
Malani in use
Malani charts in only two of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2024.
How popular is Malani?
In 2025, Malani was given to 822 babies in the United States, ranking #374 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Malani 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 Malani
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Malani also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Malani over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Malani
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.
Malani 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.
- Dutch
- Melanie
Sibling names for Malani
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Malani — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Malani
What does the name Malani mean?
There is no confirmed meaning. Hawaiian, Sanskrit and modern American formations are all claimed and none is established.
Is Malani a Hawaiian name?
It is often described that way, but it is not a standard Hawaiian name in the way Leilani and Kalani are.
How do you pronounce Malani?
muh-LAH-nee, with the stress on the middle syllable.
How popular is the name Malani?
In 2025, Malani was given to 822 babies in the United States, ranking #374 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Malani a girl's or a boy's name?
Malani is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Malani most popular?
Malani peaked in 2024, when 943 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Malani?
Malani is usually shortened to Lani and Mal.
Is Malani a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Malani currently ranks #374 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.