Kalani is a Hawaiian name made of ka, the article, and lani, "the heavens" or "the sky"; because lani also describes chiefs, it is often read as "royal one". It is used for both sexes in Hawaii, but on the US mainland it has become mainly a girls' name. Kalani entered the top 1000 in 2015, climbed quickly to number 339 in 2021 and again in 2024, and ranks number 387 in 2025.