Eliani is a modern variant of Eliana, which is usually explained from the Hebrew as "my God has answered", though the Latin Aeliana, from the Greek helios, "sun", is another root. The -i ending gives the name a light, Italianate finish, in line with Leilani and Ariani. Eliani was almost unused in 2000 and has risen steadily since 2015 to reach number 1563 among US girls' names in 2025, its best rank so far.