Imani
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- i-MAH-nee
- Origin
- Swahili
- UK rank, 2025
- #681 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #579 for girls
Imani is a girls' name of Swahili origin, meaning “faith”. In 2025 it ranked 681st for girls in the UK (59 babies) and 579th for girls in the US (512 babies).
What does Imani mean?
Swahili: Swahili word, from Arabic iman
“faith”
Imani, faith, is the seventh of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the African American festival.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Imani a girl's or a boy's name?
Imani is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 59 girls and 5 boys in the UK and 512 girls and 41 boys in the US.
How popular is Imani in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 681st among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 59 about 1 in 4,700 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 59 girls in the UK were named Imani, making it the 681st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 707th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 82 girls. 5 boys were also named Imani in 2025 (3,747th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Imani in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 69 girls in the UK were given Imani or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #574, up from #681 for this spelling alone.
- Imani 59
- Imaani 10
Among girls in 2025, it was 650th in England and Wales.
Imani in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | #681 |
| 2024 | 67 | #629 |
| 2023 | 65 | #623 |
| 2022 | 64 | #647 |
| 2021 | 57 | #720 |
| 2020 | 57 | #707 |
| 2019 | 57 | #738 |
| 2018 | 60 | #724 |
| 2017 | 59 | #746 |
| 2016 | 71 | #649 |
| 2015 | 48 | #854 |
| 2014 | 40 | #983 |
| 2013 | 56 | #761 |
| 2012 | 60 | #733 |
| 2011 | 58 | #728 |
| 2010 | 82 | #541 |
| 2009 | 80 | #539 |
| 2008 | 73 | #572 |
| 2007 | 43 | #818 |
| 2006 | 55 | #650 |
| 2005 | 46 | #724 |
| 2004 | 30 | #949 |
| 2003 | 39 | #749 |
| 2002 | 41 | #700 |
| 2001 | 17 | #1,261 |
| 2000 | 28 | #875 |
| 1999 | 34 | #752 |
| 1998 | 39 | #695 |
| 1997 | 18 | #1,164 |
| 1996 | 29 | #837 |
How popular is Imani in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 579th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 512 about 1 in 3,100 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 512 girls in the US were named Imani, making it the 579th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 522nd. Its busiest year was 1998, with 1,222 girls. It first appears in the records in 1970. 41 boys were also named Imani in 2025 (2,990th for boys).
2025 had fewer girls named Imani than any year since 1992.
Half of all the girls named Imani in the US since 1880 were born between 1998 and 2014, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 93% of the babies named Imani in the US were girls.
Imani in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 512 | #579 |
| 2024 | 585 | #526 |
| 2023 | 647 | #476 |
| 2022 | 627 | #504 |
| 2021 | 583 | #530 |
| 2020 | 580 | #522 |
| 2019 | 597 | #521 |
| 2018 | 607 | #515 |
| 2017 | 573 | #541 |
| 2016 | 577 | #541 |
| 2015 | 585 | #533 |
| 2014 | 626 | #499 |
| 2013 | 630 | #482 |
| 2012 | 807 | #387 |
| 2011 | 809 | #392 |
| 2010 | 861 | #372 |
| 2009 | 774 | #411 |
| 2008 | 841 | #384 |
| 2007 | 845 | #388 |
| 2006 | 785 | #405 |
| 2005 | 757 | #412 |
| 2004 | 801 | #387 |
| 2003 | 954 | #328 |
| 2002 | 968 | #318 |
| 2001 | 1,047 | #300 |
| 2000 | 1,051 | #303 |
| 1999 | 1,035 | #299 |
| 1998 | 1,222 | #253 |
| 1997 | 1,185 | #248 |
| 1996 | 1,171 | #239 |
| 1995 | 1,034 | #266 |
| 1994 | 905 | #303 |
| 1993 | 541 | #467 |
| 1992 | 427 | #551 |
| 1991 | 288 | #723 |
| 1990 | 203 | #933 |
| 1989 | 127 | #1,241 |
| 1988 | 76 | #1,684 |
| 1987 | 48 | #2,234 |
| 1986 | 48 | #2,169 |
| 1985 | 36 | #2,656 |
| 1984 | 32 | #2,780 |
| 1983 | 42 | #2,271 |
| 1982 | 40 | #2,414 |
| 1981 | 36 | #2,563 |
| 1980 | 37 | #2,537 |
| 1979 | 32 | #2,724 |
| 1978 | 36 | #2,431 |
| 1977 | 31 | #2,666 |
| 1976 | 25 | #2,931 |
| 1975 | 25 | #2,881 |
| 1974 | 32 | #2,396 |
| 1973 | 29 | #2,506 |
| 1972 | 21 | #3,062 |
| 1971 | 15 | #3,941 |
| 1970 | 9 | #5,412 |
Names like Imani
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Amira, Aaliyah, Zuri, Anaya, Amaya, Khadija, Maryam, Aisha, Amani, Maya, Inaya, Amara
Other spellings of Imani
Names related to Imani
More Swahili names
Malaika, Jabari, Zhuri, Imara, Maisha, Asante, Malaikah, Taraji, Xuri, Zuriyah, Johari, Simba, Zamani, Ahmani, Nyota, Zurii
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Imani: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/imani, updated 20 October 2026.