Short Hawaiian Names
115 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
Short Hawaiian boy names
Short unisex Hawaiian names
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.