“child of heaven, heavenly flowers”
Girl
Short Hawaiian Names
114 Hawaiian names of one or two syllables, each with its meaning and pronunciation. Short names travel well, pair with any middle name, and are the easiest Hawaiian names for non-speakers to say.
Short Hawaiian girl names
“generous one (popular reading), to be lost or absorbed”
Girl“the maile vine, a fragrant lei plant”
Girl“goddess of the moon”
Girl“calm as still water, afloat”
Girl“beauty, splendor”
Girl“flower, blossom, child”
Girl“Hawaiian form of Annie”
Girl“Hawaiian form of Emma”
Girl“Hawaiian form of חַוָּה”
Girl“Hawaiian form of June”
Girl“stylish, Hawaiian spelling of Kayla”
Girl“the sun”
Girl“Sarai”
Girl“gentle, tame, goddess of hula”
Girl“goddess of canoe builders, Hawaiian form of Leah”
Girl“garland of flowers, beloved child”
Girl“Lois”
Girl“rose”
Girl“calm, sheltered, peaceful”
Girl“Hawaiian form of May”
Girl“song, poem, chant”
Girl“honey, honeybee”
Girl“pearl”
Girl
Short Hawaiian boy names
“brave, bold, fearless, the koa tree”
Boy“freedom, free from restriction”
Boy“Hawaiian form of James”
Boy“the demigod who snared the sun, the island of Maui”
Boy“sea current”
Boy“sea spray, reddish hair”
Boy“house”
Boy“the spray”
Boy“the skin, the pebble”
Boy“Hawaiian form of Charles”
Boy“child, person”
Boy“the covering”
Boy“the daylight”
Boy“the answer, the continuation”
Boy“high, strong, Silas”
Boy“multitude”
Boy“Thomas”
Boy“upright”
Boy“Levi”
Boy“Hawaiian form of Rosa”
Boy“god of agriculture, rain, fertility and peace”
Boy“Hawaiian form of Louis”
Boy“shark”
Boy“Moses”
Boy
Short unisex Hawaiian names
“sea”
Unisex“sky, heaven, royal”
Unisex“star”
Unisex“the sweetheart”
Unisex“the lei, the beloved child”
Unisex“youthful beauty”
Unisex“leeward, the leeward wind”
Unisex“wave, surf”
Unisex“righteousness, goodness, balance”
Unisex“sweetheart, lover”
Unisex“the heat, the glow”
Unisex“the seeker”
Unisex“the water”
Unisex“dew, gentle mist”
Unisex“the sea”
Unisex“leaf bud, newly opened leaf, child”
Unisex“shelter, peace, protection”
Unisex“spiritual power, authority”
Unisex“bird”
Unisex“mist, misty rain”
Unisex“life, health, well-being”
Unisex“soft breeze”
Unisex“land, that which feeds”
Unisex“lively, active, alert”
Unisex
Why short Hawaiian names work
Most of the shortest Hawaiian names are single dictionary words. Kai is the sea, Koa is the warrior tree, Pua is a flower, Noe is mist, Ola is life, and Nani is beauty. Because every vowel is spoken and stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, a two-syllable Hawaiian name is almost impossible to mispronounce. Kai, Koa, and Noa are all in the American top 1,000 partly for that reason, and Kai is in the top 100.
Short names also pair with the long traditional names that Hawaiian families give as middle names. Kai Kealohilani, Lei Kaʻiulani, and Noa Kalanikūpule are the usual pattern, a short first name and a family or ancestral second name. See the middle names page for that tradition and the long names page for the other end of the scale.
One-syllable Hawaiian names
True one-syllable names are rare because Hawaiian syllables are so simple. Kai (sea), Lei (garland), Lā (sun), Kū (the god who stands), and Pō (night) are the ones in use. Kai and Lei are everyday names. Kū and Pō are rare and carry religious weight.