Hawaiian Name

A Hawaiian name is a name in the Hawaiian language. Such names are popular not only in Hawaiian families, but also among other residents of Hawaii, and even in the United States mainland among both non-native and native Hawaiians.

Genuine Hawaiian names are unisex. Their literal meaning is usually quite clear, but there may be hidden symbolic meanings known only to the family. Old Hawaiians saw a name as the property of the name-holder, with a power to help or hurt its owner. A meaning that was too apparent might have attracted evil forces. And, just like in Hawaiian poetry, an allusion was considered more beautiful than a plain statement.

Coolness and rain symbolize happiness in a warm climate. Mist is a symbol of romance. Lei means a child, because a beloved child is carried like a lei on the parent's shoulders. A child can also be a flower or a bud, regardless of its sex. 2 Modern parents tend to be more prosaic, calling a child a child, as in Keikilani and Kamalani, in which keiki and kama both mean "child".

Old Hawaiians coined a new name for each child, with careful thought of its meaning. Names might be revealed in dreams or visions. Children could be named after relatives, but names were not copied from other families. Hawaii was a hierarchical society, and the name had to be suitable to one's social class and family gods. Names beginning with Keli i- "the chief" or ending in -lani "sky" were reserved for chiefs. The lowest social kauw slave class were only allowed to take simple names from natural objects.

Any incident at the time of birth might be commemorated in a name. A famous example was the Queen Lili uokalani "scorching pain of the heaven" , called Lili u "scorch" Kamaka eha "the sore eye" in childhood. The name was chosen by her great-aunt K na u who was suffering from an eye-ache. A person might have several names, formal and informal, and names were changed if they seemed harmful. If a child fell ill, evil sorcery was often suspected. The parents might change the name into something repulsive, like Pupuka "ugly" or K kae "excrement" in order to protect the child. 4 Such names did not cause ostracism among Hawaiians, but foreign visitors were scandalized. An American writes in

In nineteenth century marriage documents, we can find several Hawaiians named, for example, Kama i "the illness the genitals" , Ka aihue "the thief" , Kapela "the filth" and Waiwai ole "worthless" . However, the majority of names have quite pleasant meanings, or are simply descriptive. The most common names, used by both genders, were Kalua "the second child, companion" , Keawe "the strand", symbolic of lineage , Kamaka "the eye", symbolic of beloved one , Keaka "the shadow, essence" , Kealoha "the love" , p nui "big belly", sign of high social class , and M hoe "twin" . The most striking feature of nineteenth century names is their diversity. A unique name was the rule, not the exception. The ten most common names cover only four percent of the population.