Hawaiian baby names are related to the land, sea, and universe and the rhythmic sounds of their names evoke exotic images of nature.
Generally Hawaiian baby names are unisex whose literal meaning is quite clear but there may be some hidden symbolic meanings which is known only to the family members. During olden days, Hawaiian babies were named by Kupuna, the eldest member of the family, with careful thought of its meaning. The name might be appeared in dreams or visions. Babies were also named after their relatives, but names were not copied from other families. The name which begins with Keli'i- ("the chief") or ending in -lani ("sky") were booked for chiefs. The lowest class were allowed to take only simple names from natural objects. In ancient Hawaii, surnames did not exist but after the signing of the Act to Regulate Names on 1860 by Kamehameha IV, Hawaiians were said to take their father's given name as a surname. In modern time, Hawaiian parents also pick trendy American first names for their babies.
Below is the list of around 300 Hawaiian baby names.
