Given name
Kainalu
“sea”·“wave”
Kainalu is a masculine given name from Hawaiian. It is used in Hawaiian.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kainalu is built from elements meaning “sea” and “wave”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1991. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kainalu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 667
- 667 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 32 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #5,997 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 15 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,997 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 32 in 2003. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 485 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.
Similar names
If you love Kainalu, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kaulana
“a well-known young woman”
96% boys · 4% girls
Keahi
“a fiery woman” · “of the flames”
93% boys · 7% girls
Kanoa
“one who is free”
96% boys · 4% girls
Keaka
“the” · “shadow, reflection”
>99% boys
Kapono
“a righteous man”
>99% boys
Colwyn
“from the river” · “from the river in Wales”
>99% boys
Kainoa
“the” · “name; namesake”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kaipo
Kaipo is used as a given name. One Hawaiian interpretation is “one who embraces others; a sweetheart Каурo, Каеро, Каро.”
>99% boys