Ahlani is a modern American spelling of Alani, which is usually traced to the Hawaiian word for the "orange tree" and sometimes read as a feminine form of Alan, "little rock". The extra h echoes names like Kehlani and gives it an island flavor. Ahlani was nearly unused before 2015, rose fast through the 2020s to a peak of number 1374 in 2024 and ranks number 1747 among girls' names in 2025.