Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2022

Kailani

Meaning sea Gender Girl Rank 2025 #253 Trend ↑ Rising 34%

From Hawaiian Kailani, from kai (“sea”) + lani (“sky”).

Rank 2025
#253
among girls · ↑23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,215
named Kailani · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,323
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2022
1,358 babies
All-time total
12,823
#1,438 all-time among girls
First recorded
1980
in Social Security records

Kailani popularity over time

12,823 babies have been named Kailani since 1980, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 59 – 59 6 – #6,848
1990s 204 – 204 20 +246% #3,257
2000s 1,147 11 1,158 116 +468% #1,357
2010s 4,067 13 4,080 408 +252% #350
2020s (to 2025) 7,301 21 7,322 1,220 +199% #222

Where Kailani is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,283 0.80 #242
2027 1,344 0.84 #227
2028 1,398 0.87 #221
2029 1,445 0.90 #210
2030 1,487 0.92 #205

Where Kailani is most popular

Girls named Kailani per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.760 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, New Mexico, and Delaware.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Kailani born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 95 8.29 +990%
New Mexico 51 2.10 +176%
Delaware 21 1.85 +143%
Nevada 78 1.68 +121%
Mississippi 74 1.58 +108%
Louisiana 111 1.27 +67%
South Carolina 112 1.25 +64%
Texas 962 1.20 +57%
Georgia 266 1.17 +54%
Connecticut 66 1.13 +49%
California 947 1.13 +48%
Arizona 156 1.11 +46%
Alabama 104 1.11 +46%
Florida 447 1.04 +37%
North Carolina 233 1.02 +35%
Oklahoma 73 0.992 +30%
Maryland 105 0.991 +30%
Idaho 33 0.986 +30%
Washington 142 0.983 +29%
Nebraska 34 0.946 +24%
Virginia 159 0.933 +23%
Illinois 206 0.900 +18%
Tennessee 141 0.890 +17%
Colorado 99 0.887 +17%
Arkansas 45 0.851 +12%
Oregon 55 0.845 +11%
New Jersey 129 0.715 -6%
Indiana 97 0.691 -9%
New York 269 0.679 -11%
Utah 51 0.613 -19%
Kentucky 52 0.608 -20%
Kansas 35 0.607 -20%
Wisconsin 60 0.583 -23%
Ohio 134 0.565 -26%
Rhode Island 7 0.559 -26%
Pennsylvania 125 0.529 -30%
Minnesota 57 0.528 -31%
Michigan 96 0.527 -31%
District of Columbia 6 0.506 -33%
Massachusetts 60 0.496 -35%
Missouri 55 0.456 -40%
Iowa 26 0.445 -41%
Alaska – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kailani

Kailani is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #253 in 2025 with 1,215 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1980, 12,823 American babies have been named Kailani. Its peak came in 2022, when 1,358 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kailani stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kailani?

The median living Kailani is about 5 years old; half are between 2 and 9. An estimated 13 thousand people named Kailani are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kailani year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 1,215 #253 – –
2024 1,144 #276 – –
2023 1,320 #226 8 #9,340
2022 1,350 #222 8 #9,413
2021 1,139 #278 – –
2020 1,133 #282 5 #13,051
2019 903 #350 7 #10,277
2018 795 #390 – –
2017 486 #617 – –
2016 379 #753 – –
2015 317 #878 – –
2014 271 #985 6 #11,413
2013 261 #966 – –
2012 250 #1,013 – –
2011 218 #1,123 – –
2010 187 #1,276 – –
2009 165 #1,421 6 #11,706
2008 179 #1,357 – –
2007 152 #1,520 5 #13,377
2006 144 #1,524 – –
2005 123 #1,635 – –
2004 128 #1,551 – –
2003 86 #2,076 – –
2002 64 #2,480 – –
2001 53 #2,791 – –
2000 53 #2,756 – –
1995 21 #4,757 – –
1990 11 #7,557 – –
1985 6 #9,867 – –
1980 8 #7,721 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kailani, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kailani?

The median living Kailani is about 5 years old. Half of all living Kailanis are between 2 and 9 years old.

How many people named Kailani are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Kailani are alive in the United States, based on 12,823 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kailani mean?

From Hawaiian Kailani, from kai (“sea”) + lani (“sky”).

How popular is the name Kailani in 2025?

Kailani ranked #253 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,215 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kailani?

12,823 babies have been named Kailani in the United States since 1980, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kailani most popular?

Kailani peaked in 2022, when 1,358 newborns received the name.

Is Kailani a boy or girl name?

Kailani is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kailani rising or falling?

Kailani is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kailani become more popular?

Kailani is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,487 girls named Kailani in 2030, which would rank around #205. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kailani

Names that sound and feel close to Kailani: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kailani with similar names → More names starting with K →