Imani is the Swahili word for "faith", which comes from the Arabic iman, and it is the name of the seventh and last principle of Kwanzaa, celebrated on January 1. The name became popular in African American families in the 1970s and 1980s alongside other Swahili names like Nia and Zuri. In the United States Imani ranked number 304 in 2000, peaked at number 300 in 2001 and stands at number 579 among girls' names in 2025.