I really like the name [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] - I love the meaning (“heavenly flower”) and it has a lovely, cheerful and sweet sound imo. It’s also rather common in the US national rankings (#107), which I like, as I feel it gives it a bit of familiarity?
[name_f]My[/name_f] biggest concern with [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] though is that it’s very clearly and obviously Hawaiian, and I am, well, not.
Is it weird or wrong/offensive to use [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] when I’m not from [name_u]Hawaii[/name_u]? I like just [name_f]Lani[/name_f] as well, but I’m not 100% sold on it.
As I know naming have a big significance in their culture and names are chosen for their meanings rather than sounds, so in my opinion it’s not quite appropriate to use a Hawaiian name. But I’m not Hawaiian so I’m not sure how they feel about it.
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I’ve met a [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] and she was from a European country. I can also think of a few celebrities with this name who are not Hawaiian. I think the name is common enough outside of [name_u]Hawaii[/name_u] that it’s unlikely to cause offence, but if you’re concerned I would recommend using it as a middle name only or looking for other names ([name_f]Lorelei[/name_f] is quite similar).
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Almost certainly no, not offensive
Edit: By which I mean, will people be offended? As a whole no. Could you find someone who takes offense? Probably yes. Maybe the better question is, is it right? Do some research and form your own conclusion.
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I can’t speak for Native Hawaiians, but given the popularity of [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] & the absence of a specific cultural reference, using [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] wouldn’t be offensive by the book. In Hawaiian culture, “-lani” names are technically chieftain class names (closer to the gods) (I wouldn’t use it for this reason but that’s me), and [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] would technically mean “lei of the heavens.” A lei is symbolic of love, celebration, family, friendship, etc, so instead of heavenly flower, the meaning is more like-- “aloha (love, celebration, etc.) from/of the heavens” (to my understanding). The biggest thing would be to just really look into it! Understand where the name came from & who uses it & why! Hawaiian naming culture really emphasizes cosmic importance of names–your name dictates your life path. So it’s definitely not light & breezy but a really beautiful practice!
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It is not wrong to name your child a name you like.
If that were true, we’d live in a police state.
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I don’t think it’s bad to use, Americans everywhere are using it, aren’t they? 
I know siblings named [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] and [name_m]Keanu[/name_m] and they aren’t Hawaiian at all 
Lani would make a lovely nickname!
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Thanks everyone! I may have to do some more research into it, but I do feel like, because it’s so popular at the moment (#107), it likely isn’t solely being used by families who are Hawaiian at this point? I may have to think on this one!
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The only [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] I’ve met was not Hawaiian (she wasn’t white either). I can’t fully speak on this because I’m not Hawaiian but with its popularity, I think there would be more cautioning against the name if it were inappropriate to use. Research seems like a good idea! I really like [name_f]Leilani[/name_f].
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As long as (A) it is not cultural or religion specific and (B) the name’s meaning has significance / is important to you or you have a tie to it, then you should be alright. I would still do my research to understand its significance to the area it is from originally though. I wouldn’t choose a name just on liking the sound alone, but that’s just me.
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I feel like in general as long as you’ve done your research and know the name isn’t going to be culturally insensitive (as in it doesn’t have a strong religious or cultural meaning that would be inappropriate to use on a child, which as far as I know [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] doesn’t) then it’s fine.
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I think of this name as just Hawaiian, but i’m not Hawaiian myself. Lots of people have already given a great perspective on this; at the end of the day it’s what you feel is appropriate and what you’re comfortable with.
Just [name_f]Lani[/name_f] is a gorgeous name, but some other alternatives you may like if you do decide that [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] is not for you:
Leila
[name_f]Leia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ani[/name_f]
[name_f]Aniela[/name_f]
[name_f]Lorelei[/name_f]
[name_f]Eila[/name_f] (EY-la)
[name_u]Alani[/name_u]
[name_f]Melanie[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleni[/name_f]
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I was looking at the Hawaiian SSA name data by chance and I noticed that the name [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] was only given to 16 girls born in [name_u]Hawaii[/name_u] in 2019. So its popularity is certainly down to people living in the US Mainland using it.
https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/namesbystate.cgi
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