Hawaiian/Greek meaning 'beautiful' or 'graceful'; also Japanese for 'what' and Indian for 'little.'.
Nani is most richly known as a Hawaiian name meaning beauty, splendor, or glory — derived from the Hawaiian word "nani" used in traditional chant and song to describe things radiant and magnificent, from a beloved person to the landscape of the islands. Hawaiian poetic tradition, the hula, and the rich oral literature of the Pacific frequently invoke "nani" as one of the highest terms of praise, making it a name that carries genuine cultural weight and lyrical beauty. The name was borne into wider popular awareness through Disney's 2002 film *Lilo & Stitch*, in which Nani is Lilo's older sister — depicted as resilient, loving, and deeply committed to her family, a portrayal that resonated strongly with Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities for its sympathetic specificity.
Beyond Hawaii, Nani exists independently in multiple cultural traditions. In Japanese it appears as a given name (written with various kanji), and in some South Asian and African naming traditions the name or near-homophone carries its own distinct meanings. This cross-cultural resonance makes Nani genuinely international — a name that can feel native to many places at once.
In contemporary use, Nani appeals for its brevity, warmth, and the fact that it carries beauty as its literal definition. Two syllables, a soft opening, an open ending — it is easy to say in any language and pleasant to hear. It belongs to a growing appreciation for names from Pacific and Indigenous Hawaiian traditions that have long existed outside the mainstream naming canon. For families with Hawaiian heritage, it is a name of deep pride; for others, it is a name that simply sounds like what it means.