Moana is widely used as a Polynesian-style name meaning 'ocean' or 'sea,' though here it is best grouped under Japanese by the allowed categories.
Moana comes from the Proto-Polynesian root meaning 'ocean,' 'deep sea,' or 'wide expanse of water,' and it carries this meaning across the Polynesian language family — from Hawaiian to Māori, Samoan to Tahitian. In Hawaiian, moana specifically evokes the deep open ocean as distinct from the coastal sea, the vast navigable blue that Polynesian voyagers crossed for centuries using only stars, currents, and the movement of birds. To name a child Moana is to name them after one of humanity's greatest frontiers.
The name holds deep significance in Māori culture, where it appears in place names, waiata (songs), and oral tradition throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Hawaiian, it has been a given name for generations, borne by figures in Hawaiian genealogical chants. The name's association with the sea also connects it to Polynesian cosmology, where the ocean is not merely a geographic feature but a living ancestor — Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the great ocean of Kiwa, is the Māori name for the Pacific.
Disney's 2016 animated film Moana brought the name to global visibility, introducing its meaning and Polynesian roots to an audience of millions. The response was notably positive within Pacific Islander communities, many of whom appreciated the representation — though discussions about cultural authenticity added important nuance. Post-film, the name saw a sharp international rise. Today Moana occupies a rare position: a name with genuine ancient roots, renewed contemporary resonance, and a sound that crosses linguistic borders effortlessly.