Jelani
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- jeh-LAH-nee
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,301 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,145 for boys
Jelani is a boys' name. In 2025 it ranked 4,301st for boys in the UK (4 babies) and 2,145th for boys in the US (67 babies).
Where does Jelani come from?
Often said to be Swahili, but the source is unclear
Is Jelani a girl's or a boy's name?
Jelani is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 boys in the UK and 67 girls and 67 boys in the US.
How popular is Jelani in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,301among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 4about 1 in 75,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 15% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 4 boys in the UK were named Jelani, making it the 4,301st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,562nd. Its busiest year was 2021, with 9 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Jelani than any year since 2019.
Half of all the boys named Jelani in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2020. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,212th in England and Wales.
Jelani in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #4,301 |
| 2024 | 6 | #3,335 |
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 7 | #2,922 |
| 2021 | 9 | #2,434 |
| 2020 | 8 | #2,562 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 5 | #3,596 |
| 2017 | 6 | #3,191 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 7 | #2,736 |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 5 | #3,305 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 5 | #3,013 |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,147 |
| 2003 | 6 | #2,283 |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 7 | #1,749 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,170 |
| 1997 | 6 | #1,853 |
| 1996 | 6 | #1,840 |
How popular is Jelani in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,145among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 67about 1 in 25,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 67 boys in the US were named Jelani, making it the 2,145th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,731st. Its busiest year was 1998, with 151 boys. It first appears in the records in 1973. 67 girls were also named Jelani in 2025 (2,583rd for girls).
2025 had fewer boys named Jelani than any year since 1989.
Half of all the boys named Jelani in the US since 1880 were born between 1992 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 12% of the babies named Jelani in the US in 1975, and 50% in 2025.
Jelani in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67 | #2,145 |
| 2024 | 94 | #1,752 |
| 2023 | 131 | #1,404 |
| 2022 | 129 | #1,421 |
| 2021 | 102 | #1,635 |
| 2020 | 89 | #1,731 |
| 2019 | 90 | #1,737 |
| 2018 | 84 | #1,808 |
| 2017 | 100 | #1,605 |
| 2016 | 99 | #1,618 |
| 2015 | 90 | #1,717 |
| 2014 | 69 | #2,043 |
| 2013 | 80 | #1,793 |
| 2012 | 87 | #1,728 |
| 2011 | 110 | #1,476 |
| 2010 | 100 | #1,574 |
| 2009 | 103 | #1,572 |
| 2008 | 99 | #1,594 |
| 2007 | 84 | #1,760 |
| 2006 | 114 | #1,391 |
| 2005 | 103 | #1,430 |
| 2004 | 128 | #1,194 |
| 2003 | 130 | #1,154 |
| 2002 | 133 | #1,097 |
| 2001 | 124 | #1,127 |
| 2000 | 143 | #1,019 |
| 1999 | 116 | #1,128 |
| 1998 | 151 | #930 |
| 1997 | 121 | #1,049 |
| 1996 | 113 | #1,069 |
| 1995 | 112 | #1,059 |
| 1994 | 102 | #1,115 |
| 1993 | 98 | #1,134 |
| 1992 | 96 | #1,115 |
| 1991 | 110 | #1,024 |
| 1990 | 82 | #1,196 |
| 1989 | 64 | #1,369 |
| 1988 | 64 | #1,282 |
| 1987 | 62 | #1,232 |
| 1986 | 38 | #1,661 |
| 1985 | 38 | #1,643 |
| 1984 | 58 | #1,197 |
| 1983 | 38 | #1,561 |
| 1982 | 61 | #1,178 |
| 1981 | 54 | #1,246 |
| 1980 | 71 | #1,070 |
| 1979 | 66 | #1,100 |
| 1978 | 61 | #1,121 |
| 1977 | 70 | #1,027 |
| 1976 | 55 | #1,154 |
| 1975 | 46 | #1,258 |
| 1974 | 53 | #1,124 |
| 1973 | 36 | #1,400 |
Names like Jelani
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kai Koa Ali Joshua Levi Jonah Eli Tobias Muhammad Josiah Malachi Keanu
Names related to Jelani
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, “Jelani: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/jelani, updated 20 October 2026.