Elani
Meaning of Elani
Elani (eh-LAH-nee) is a mellifluous modern choice that appears to have sprouted from more than one linguistic garden. In Hawaiian, lani means “sky” or “heaven,” so the addition of the soft initial vowel turns the word into a given name suggestive of open horizons and clear trade winds. Many parents also regard Elani as a streamlined cousin of the Hebrew-Latin Eliana (“God has answered”) or as a lighter, fresher spin on classic Elaine and Helen, both ultimately linked to the Greek word for “torch” and therefore to light itself. First recorded on the U.S. charts in the mid-1980s, the name has inched upward with the measured persistence of a sunrise, reaching 260 newborns and a rank of 691 in 2024—respectable progress for a name that still feels distinctive on a playground. Elani offers a pleasant balance: easy to pronounce, rhythmically graceful, and just uncommon enough to earn a second glance without requiring a pronunciation tutorial.
Pronunciation
American English,Hawaiian
- Pronunced as eh-LAH-nee (/ɛˈlɑːni/)
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