Aulani is a Hawaiian name that is usually translated as "royal messenger" or "messenger of the chief", with lani, the word for heaven and royalty, as its second element. Many Americans first met it as the name of Disney's resort on Oahu, which opened in 2011. The name has grown slowly, from number 10859 in 2000 and number 3002 in 2015 to number 1711 in 2025, its best rank so far.