Given name & surname · also African
Amani
“one who is peaceful”·“one with wishes and dreams”
Amani is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is peaceful” and “one with wishes and dreams”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is peaceful” and “one with wishes and dreams”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with African and Arabic naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1969. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Amani through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16,330
- 2,890 boys · 13,440 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 667 babies
- 2025
- 526
- #678 for girls · #1,585 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +21%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 18% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 419 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 678 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 16.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 529 in 2008. It also appeared in 107 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (45). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 12,337 as a first name in 2020; 882 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Amani’s family of names
Amani has a related form in Amany. Amani has a related form in Amanee. Amani has a related form in Amanie.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Amani
- Amani Abeid Karume6th President of Zanzibar (2000-2010)born 1948
- Amani al-KhatahtbehAmerican author, tech entrepreneurborn 1992
- Yao Amaniassociation football playerborn 1963
- Amani BallourSyrian pediatrician and activistborn 1987
- Amani SwissiTunisian singer and actressborn 1983
- Amany LubisIndonesian islamic scholarborn 1963
- Amani Abou-ZeidEgyptian development aid expert
- Amani Williams Hunt AbdullahMalaysian social activist/politicianborn 1953
- Amani FancyBritish figure skaterborn 1997
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Amani, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Saniye
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Fatimata
Fatimata is a feminine given name from Arabic. It is used in French.
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