I'm on vacation in Hawaii right now, so I thought this week's article should feature a few Hawaiian baby names.

Before I talk about baby names, though, I should mention a couple of things. Firstly, the Hawaiian alphabet only contains 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o & u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p & w). So all Hawaiian names utilize the same (rather small) group of letters. Secondly, genuine Hawaiian names are all unisex. Some are given more often to males, some more often to females...but any name can be used for either gender.

Now, on to the names:

Oceanic Names

The name Kai means "sea" and can be seen in a number of other names, such as 'Aukai (sea traveller), 'Ehukai (sea spray), Kaileo (voice of the sea), Kaimana (power of the sea), Kainalu (billowy sea), Kaiolohia (calm sea) and Kekaimalie (the calm seas). There's also Kailani, meaning "heavenly sea," which brings me to...

Heavenly Names

The name Lani means "sky" or "heavens" and, like Kai, can be spotted in related names like 'Aulani (heavenly traveller), Aolani (heavenly cloud), Hokulani (star of heaven), Kahealani (heavenly mist), Kalani (the heavens), Keikilani (heavenly child), Leilani (heavenly flowers), Mahealani (heavenly haze), Nalani (the heavens), Noelani (heavenly mist), Pualani (heavenly flower) and Ululani (heavenly inspiration).

Other Names

There are thousands of other Hawai'ian names out there that have nothing to do with either the sea or the sky. For instance, there's Kahiau (generous) Konani (bright), and Waiola (water of life). Also, while Hawaiian names are unisex, several are more popular for males or for females: Kekoa (brave) and Ikaika (strong) are given more often to baby boys, while Kalea (joy) and Kanani (beauty) are given more often to baby girls.


...If you want some other ideas, I recommend Wikipedia's Hawaiian Name page. (Did you know that the wiki in Wikipedia is a Hawaiian word meaning "fast" or "quick"?) Also, feel free to get in touch with me at any time for personalized suggestions and advice.

Mahalo!