Alternatives to Leilani

Lilith is derived from the Akkadian word lilitu meaning "of the night." In Jewish folklore she is portrayed as Adam's rejected first wife, who was turned into a night demon for refusing to obey him. Lilith is unrelated to most other Lil- names, with the exception of Lilita, which is the Latvian variation.

Lotus is one of the most languorous of the flower names, with intriguing significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing purity, grace and spiritual growth — not to mention a familiar yoga position.

Lynlee — in which two popular suffixes meet to become one trendy name — has been rising up the US stats since 2000s. While it has yet to reach the popularity levels of Everly or Raelyn, and while it is still lagging behind more recently popular choices, Lakelynn and Whitley, it was given to 125 girls in 2023, twice the number born in 2010.

Meilani may sound like a Hawaiian name, kind of a mashup of Leilani and Melanie, but it's actually an invention by that style-maven JWoww, AKA Jenni Farley of Jersey Shore, who used it for her daughter. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.

Gone with the Wind inspired a generation of girls named Melanie, though it looks as though Scarlett will triumph in the end.

Names ending in -lani have become so fashionable, people have taken up creating pseudo-Hawaiian names that emulate the sounds of the language (here's looking at you, Meilani). Mililani is at once on-trend, extremely rare, and authentically Hawaiian — the best of all worlds.

Mulani is a name that may come from various origin — it is a surname found throughout Indian in Muslim families, it may be a variation of the Chinese Mulan, or it may simply be an invented name following the trends of popular names such as Leilani, Kailani, and Meilani.

Evocative of tranquil island escapes. One of several Hawaiian (and pseudo-Hawaiian) names ending in "-ani" that's soaring in popularity, Nalani made its debut on the US Top 1000 in 2016.

Another name to add to the lineup of lanis, but the unfortunate first syllable will likely keep this one rare.

Shivani sounds fresh and powerful.

Shoshoni along with Shoshone and Shoshonee is the name of a tribe indigenous to the western US as well as personal names for a baby girl. Lovely and evocative as they are, none was given to more than five baby girls in the US last year, making them exceedingly rare.