What does Keliʻi mean?
Keliʻi is a Hawaiian boy name that means the chief (simplified spelling of Kealiʻi). The name comes from ke (the) + aliʻi (chief). It is pronounced keh-LEE-ee, with 3 syllables. The stressed syllable is written in capitals.
Keliʻi belongs with other Hawaiian names about royalty.
How to pronounce Keliʻi
Say every vowel. A as in “father”, e as in “bet”, i as “ee”, o as in “go”, u as “oo”. The ʻokina (ʻ) in Keliʻi is a short pause, like the break in “uh-oh”. See the full Hawaiian pronunciation guide.
Is Keliʻi a boy or girl name?
Keliʻi is used mainly as a boy's name. Like most Hawaiian names it has no grammatical gender, so it can be given to any child, but modern usage leans masculine.