Makani
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- mah-KAH-nee
- Origin
- Hawaiian
- US rank, 2025
- #5,859 for boys
Makani is a name of Hawaiian origin, meaning “wind”. In 2025 it ranked 5,859th for boys in the US (15 babies).
What does Makani mean?
Hawaiian: Hawaiian makani
“wind”
From the Hawaiian word for wind or breeze.
Is Makani a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Makani has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 11 girls and 15 boys in the US.
How popular is Makani in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,859th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 15 about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 61% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 15 boys in the US were named Makani, making it the 5,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,292nd. Its busiest year was 2022, with 27 boys. It first appears in the records in 1996. 11 girls were also named Makani in 2025 (8,858th for girls).
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Makani than any year since 2020.
Half of all the boys named Makani in the US since 1880 were born between 2007 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2024, 35% of the babies named Makani in the US were girls.
Makani in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #5,859 |
| 2024 | 22 | #4,567 |
| 2023 | 24 | #4,339 |
| 2022 | 27 | #3,992 |
| 2021 | 19 | #4,932 |
| 2020 | 13 | #6,292 |
| 2019 | 11 | #7,168 |
| 2018 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 10 | #7,600 |
| 2015 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,627 |
| 2013 | 10 | #7,532 |
| 2012 | 12 | #6,620 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,072 |
| 2010 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 14 | #6,065 |
| 2007 | 15 | #5,658 |
| 2006 | 22 | #4,219 |
| 2005 | 17 | #4,819 |
| 2004 | 8 | #8,137 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 8 | #7,636 |
| 2001 | 6 | #9,236 |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,409 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 9 | #5,975 |
Names like Makani
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Makoa, Koa, Kaleo, Kai, Kainoa, Keanu, Nakoa, Lakai, Keoni, Alakai, Nikolai, Kekoa
Names related to Makani
More Hawaiian names
Leilani, Kailani, Kalani, Nalani, Makai, Koah, Meilani, Kailany, Leilany, Laylani, Lani, Luana, Leylani, Lailani, Kaelani, Noelani
Sources
Figures from 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, “Makani: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/makani, updated 20 October 2026.