How "Ailany" Went From Obscurity to One of America’s Favorite Baby Names

Olivia and Charlotte are making room for a new baby-name darling near the top of the charts: Ailany has just taken over the 14th spot among the most popular baby girl names in the United States. The latest data drop from the Social Security Administration (SSA) shows the Hawaiian-inspired name outperforming names such as Aurora, Harper, and Lily.

To unpack the meteoric rise of this melodic moniker, we asked baby-name consultants why Ailany—and more names ending with -any or -ani—are ones to watch in the years ahead.

Ailany, also spelled Ailani, derives from the Polynesian language and holds a strong meaning, “female who holds rank as a chief.”

The name has its own power, at least when it comes to its ascent on the SSA charts. Ailany’s jump in the rankings is most notable because of its dark-horse status. Compare it to the name Eliana, which is new to the SSA’s top 10 this year. Eliana has steadily climbed into the top 10 since the 1980s, when it first entered the list at No. 451.

Ailany, on the other hand, only broke into the SSA’s top 1,000 names in 2023, when it was No. 857. Last year, it made a huge 756-place jump in rank, narrowly missing the top 100 and claiming the 101st slot. This year, it made another impressive leap and ranked 14th overall.

Experts say there are a number of reasons we’ve seen Ailany at the top of the baby-name charts. “Girl names that end in -ani/-any have been steadily climbing, especially those of Hawaiian origin,” explains Jenn Ficarra of Nom de Bloom Baby Name Consulting, adding that another major factor is the popularity of the name among the Hispanic and Latinx community.

Steph Coffield of Names With Steph offers another plausible reason: Parents are loving vowel-heavy girl names like Olivia, Isla, and Aurora. “There’s something beautiful and feminine about vowel names for girls that appeals to a lot of expecting parents,” she says.

Names with Hawaiian roots are also replacing French and Irish names that were once trending, says Sherri Suzanne, founder of My Name for Life. “Currently, parents seem interested in Hawaiian names as well as Italian and Greek names. Hawaiian names are usually derived from the sea and island life. They satisfy parents interested in ‘nature’ names without using English ‘word’ names like Ocean or Sky. Among my own clients, the wildfires that devastated a piece of the Hawaiian island of Maui in 2023 spurred some interest in Hawaiian names.”

Shockingly, there’s no celebrity tie to Ailany, but one brand with a similar name has seen a noteworthy popularity spike, too. In April 2025, it was reported that the energy drink Alani Nu racked up more than $1 billion in sales over the past year—a whopping 72.4% year-over-year increase. In fact, the name Alani has ranked among the top 1,000 girl names since the early 2000s and reached 161 (its highest ranking ever) in 2025.

For parents looking for a more unique approach to Ailany, consider the alternative spelling: Ailani. That variation has slowly increased in popularity, starting out at 915 in 2016 and recently taking over the 168th spot. Meanwhile, Suzanne credits the name Leilani (now ranked 60th) with spearheading the Hawaiian baby-name movement. It first appeared on the charts at 758 in 1937 and has made the list almost every year since.

Below, our experts share their favorite swaps for Ailany, plus where they rank on the current SSA list:

1. Adeline (No. 59)
2. Leilani (No. 60)
3. Aaliyah (No. 101)
4. Alaia (No. 117)
5. Alina (No. 130)
6. Alana (No. 140)
7. Kehlani (No. 149)
8. Alani (No. 161)
9. Ailani (No. 168)
10. Amaya (No. 180)
11. Kaia (No. 193)
12. Myla (No. 210)
13. Delaney (No. 242)
14. Kailani (No. 253)
15. Nayeli (No. 271)
16. Azalea (No. 278)
17. Adelina (No. 304)
18. Elaine (No. 305)
19. Aylin (No. 345)
20. Malia (No. 349)
21. Liana (No. 386)
22. Annalise (No. 409)
23. Analeia (No. 514)
24. Kailany (No. 581)
25. Meilani (No. 591)
26. Araceli (No. 746)
27. Aileen (No. 799)
28. Lilia (No. 859)
29. Kahlani (No. 875)
30. Naylani (No. 897)
31. Ailanny (No. 932)
32. Khalani (No. 904)
33. Anika (No. 955)
34. Kalea (unranked)
35. Noelani (unranked)

It’s remarkable that Ailany made it to the top 15 without a recognizable celebrity pegged to the name, though Leilani has a few, like beauty influencer Leilani Green.

Suzanne has a helpful workflow for name brainstorming: “Want the Hawaii connection but not the -lani sound? There is Kaia, which is somewhat familiar, or Kalea, which is more unusual,” she says. “Appreciate the exotic -lani sound but not the sudden popularity of Ailany? Consider Keilani or Noelani. Find the sound appealing but uncomfortable with the complicated spelling? Try the much simpler Alana or Alina, or try a retro choice like Aileen. Want the essence of Ailany in a more modern, surname-style package? Think about Delaney. Are you more the traditional type? Think about fine European antiques with Ailany’s As, Ls, or Ns like Adelina, Adeline, or Annalise.”

If you’re finding yourself drawn to Ailany, Kehlani, or Leilani, Coffield suspects these names could be “the next Aiden/Braiden/Caden/Jaden” or a modern take on the more Millennial and Y2K names ending in -ley or -leigh. “There are still a lot more -ley ending names,” she says. “But -lany/-lani is definitely on its way!”