Nani

Meaning of Nani

Nani, a feminine appellation of Hawaiian origin, derives from the indigenous lexeme nani—signifying “beautiful” or “splendid”—and is phonetically rendered as /ˈnɑni/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet; this etymology places the name within Polynesian adjectival onomastics, where descriptive terms function as personal identifiers. Its gradual integration into Anglo-American anthroponymy is evidenced by Social Security Administration data, which records its 2024 standing at 924th in the United States with 26 documented usages, a trajectory that traces back to its first appearance in the mid-twentieth century and reveals modest oscillations within the lower stratum of the top 1,000 names over ensuing decades. As a contemporary choice, Nani affords parents a concise phonological structure and an immediately apprehensible semantic value—qualities that align with academic observations of a broader trend toward names that convey both cultural specificity and accessible exoticism.

Pronunciation

Hawaiian

• Pronunced as NAH-nee (/ˈnɑni/)

• Nola
• Nyla
• Naya
• Nia
• Nina
• Nika
• Nessa