Aalani is a modern American spelling of Alani, which is usually explained through the Hawaiian word for "orange tree" or "fragrant", and it shares its sound with the Hawaiian Leilani and the invented Ailani. The doubled A gives the name the visual style of Aaliyah. Aalani has climbed from number 6977 among US girls in 2015 to number 2822 in 2025, its best rank so far.