Given name & surname
Akela
“one who is noble”
Akela is used as a given name and a surname. One Hawaiian interpretation is “one who is noble.”
Original HawaiianAdela
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hawaiian interpretation is “one who is noble.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hawaiian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1975. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Akela through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 658
- 38 boys · 620 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 27 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #11,982 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −34%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,982 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 27 in 1996. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 552 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Akela’s family of names
Akela has a related form in Akeelah. Akela has a related form in Akeyla. Akela has a related form in Akeya.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Akeelahvariant
- Akeyavariant
- Akeliavariant
- Akelahvariant
- Akeylahvariant
- Akeylavariant
- Akellahvariant
- Akellavariant
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See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Akela
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Akela, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alika
“one who is honest”
47% boys · 53% girls
Kalei
“an attendant of the king”
27% boys · 73% girls
Koi
“one who implores”
48% boys · 52% girls
Amaree
“having great strength; a builder” · “one who will be forever beautiful”
52% boys · 48% girls
Kamalei
“child” · “a lei”
28% boys · 72% girls
Kadence
“rhythmic and melodious; a musical woman”
27% boys · 73% girls
Jaylin
“one who is calm; a healer” · “one who heals others; one who is tranquil”
38% boys · 62% girls
Aiman
45% boys · 55% girls