Zalani is a modern American coinage that follows the pattern of Kehlani and Leilani with a Z at the front; it has no traditional meaning, although parents usually borrow the "heavenly" sense of the Hawaiian lani that ends those names. It belongs to the fast-growing group of melodic -lani names of the 2020s. Zalani was first recorded in 2017 at number 15856 and has climbed every year since, reaching number 2275 in 2025.