Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1979

Lani

Meaning A female given name from Hawaiian Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #1,603 Trend ↑ Rising 46%

A female given name from Hawaiian.

Rank 2025
#1,603
among girls · ↑302 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
131
named Lani · +25% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,269
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1979
143 babies
All-time total
7,556
#2,003 all-time among girls
First recorded
1917
in Social Security records

Lani popularity over time

7,556 babies have been named Lani since 1917, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 5 – 5 1 – #4,957
1920s 10 – 10 1 +100% #5,377
1930s 31 6 37 4 +270% #2,066
1940s 596 47 643 64 +1638% #877
1950s 894 44 938 94 +46% #924
1960s 887 31 918 92 -2% #1,022
1970s 911 10 921 92 0% #953
1980s 838 11 849 85 -8% #1,020
1990s 691 12 703 70 -17% #1,660
2000s 1,144 11 1,155 116 +64% #1,474
2010s 762 – 762 76 -34% #2,180
2020s (to 2025) 604 11 615 103 +35% #1,603

Where Lani 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 140 0.09 outside top 500
2027 148 0.09 outside top 500
2028 155 0.10 outside top 500
2029 162 0.10 outside top 500
2030 167 0.10 outside top 500

Where Lani is most popular

Girls named Lani per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.064 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Florida, and Texas.

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 Lani 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
California 115 0.137 +113%
Florida 36 0.084 +31%
Texas 66 0.082 +28%
Georgia 15 0.066 ≈ national
Indiana 7 0.050 -23%
New York 18 0.045 -29%
Virginia 6 0.035 -45%
Ohio 5 0.021 -67%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Lani

Lani is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,603 in 2025 with 131 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1917, 7,556 American babies have been named Lani. Its peak came in 1979, when 143 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Lani stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lani?

The median living Lani is about 40 years old; half are between 19 and 59. An estimated 6,900 people named Lani are alive in the United States today.

median 40 020406080100

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

Lani 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 131 #1,603 – –
2024 105 #1,905 – –
2023 96 #2,042 5 #13,359
2022 98 #1,999 6 #11,704
2021 92 #2,082 – –
2020 82 #2,210 – –
2019 81 #2,262 – –
2018 73 #2,451 – –
2017 78 #2,349 – –
2016 80 #2,356 – –
2015 67 #2,673 – –
2014 72 #2,506 – –
2013 74 #2,451 – –
2012 71 #2,554 – –
2011 76 #2,429 – –
2010 90 #2,180 – –
2009 98 #2,085 – –
2008 95 #2,131 – –
2007 120 #1,790 – –
2006 127 #1,668 – –
2005 142 #1,485 – –
2004 132 #1,524 6 #10,789
2003 118 #1,636 – –
2002 130 #1,474 – –
2001 96 #1,845 5 #11,610
2000 86 #1,959 – –
1995 67 #2,039 – –
1990 89 #1,660 – –
1985 79 #1,544 5 #7,129
1980 142 #1,020 – –
1975 76 #1,391 – –
1970 133 #953 5 #5,126
1965 57 #1,471 5 #4,219
1960 105 #1,050 5 #4,353
1955 80 #1,117 6 #3,714
1950 76 #1,058 9 #2,681
1945 67 #930 – –
1940 37 #1,209 8 #2,774
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 5 #5,377 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lani?

The median living Lani is about 40 years old. Half of all living Lanis are between 19 and 59 years old.

How many people named Lani are alive today?

An estimated 6,900 people named Lani are alive in the United States, based on 7,556 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lani mean?

A female given name from Hawaiian.

How popular is the name Lani in 2025?

Lani ranked #1,603 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 131 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lani?

7,556 babies have been named Lani in the United States since 1917, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lani most popular?

Lani peaked in 1979, when 143 newborns received the name.

Is Lani a boy or girl name?

Lani is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lani rising or falling?

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

Will Lani become more popular?

Lani is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 167 girls named Lani in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Lani

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

Compare Lani with similar names → More names starting with L →