Hawaiian Last Names

These Hawaiian last names are real family names from the islands, from Kahananui to Kealoha, listed with their meanings in English. Below you will find how they came about and how to pronounce them.

151 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Aikau

Possibly eat (ʻai) + season (kau)
Akaka

Clear, luminous

H

Haʻaheo

Proud, dignified, stately
Hanohano

Glorious, honored
Hoapili

Close companion
Hoʻomanawanui

Patience; to be patient
Hoʻopiʻi

To climb; to accuse

K

Kahakalau

Possibly the many marks
Kahale

The house
Kahaleanu

The cool house
Kahalekai

The house by the sea
Kahalewai

The house of water
Kahanamoku

Possibly the work (hana) of the island (moku)
Kahananui

The great work
Kahanu

The breath
Kahawai

The stream
Kahekili

The thunder
Kahele

The traveler; the going
Kahiapo

The firstborn
Kahikina

The east
Kahiko

The ancient one
Kahili

The feather standard of royalty
Kahoʻāno

Possibly the hallowed one
Kahoʻohalahala

The one who laments or complains
Kahoʻohanohano

The one who glorifies; the honoring
Kahoʻokele

The steersman, the navigator
Kahoku

The star
Kaholokula

Possibly the running to the plain
Kahue

The gourd
Kahumoku

Possibly guardian (kahu) of the island (moku)
Kaʻahanui

The great assembly
Kaʻahumanu

The feathered cloak
Kaʻai

Possibly the sash (kāʻai), or the food
Kaʻaiakamanu

The food of the bird
Kaʻaihue

The thief
Kaʻanoʻi

The desire, the beloved
Kaʻapana

The portion, the section
Kaʻapuni

The circuit; going around
Kaʻawa

The kava plant
Kaʻeo

The victor; the triumphant
Kaʻōnohi

The eyeball; the eye
Kaʻōpua

The rain cloud bank
Kaili

Possibly the skin, the surface
Kaina

Younger sibling of the same sex
Kaiwi

The bone
Kalāhiki

The rising sun
Kalākaua

The day of battle
Kalama

The torch; the lama tree
Kalani

The heavens; the high chief
Kalanianaʻole

The immeasurable chief; heavens without measure
Kalauokalani

The leaf of heaven
Kalehua

The lehua blossom
Kalei

The lei; the beloved
Kaleikini

The many leis; the many beloved ones
Kaleo

The voice
Kaleohano

The glorious voice
Kalima

The hand; five
Kalua

The pit; the second
Kamaile

The maile vine
Kamaka

The eye; the face
Kamakahi

Possibly the single eye; the only one
Kamakana

The gift
Kamakani

The wind
Kamakau

The fishhook
Kamakawiwoʻole

The fearless eye; the bold face
Kamalani

The royal child; heavenly child
Kamaliʻi

The children; young chiefs
Kamalu

The shade; the calm
Kamanu

The bird
Kamau

The constant one; the enduring
Kamealoha

The beloved one
Kamehameha

The lonely one; the one set apart
Kamoku

The island
Kanahele

The forest, the wilderness
Kanaʻiaupuni

The conqueror of the kingdom
Kanakaʻole

Without a person; no one
Kanakanui

The big person
Kaniho

The tooth
Kanoa

The free one; freed from kapu
Kanoe

The mist
Kanoho

The seat; the dwelling
Kanuha

The sulky one
Kanui

The big one
Kaohi

The restraint; the one who holds back
Kaohu

The mist
Kapahu

The drum; the box
Kapiʻolani

The arch of heaven
Kapono

The righteous one
Kapu

Sacred, forbidden
Kapule

The prayer
Kauahi

The smoke (uahi)
Kauhane

The spirit, the soul
Kauhi

The covering, the veil
Kaulana

Famous, renowned
Kaulukukui

Possibly the kukui grove
Kawaʻa

The canoe
Kawai

The water
Kawainui

The great water
Kawānanakoa

The fearless prophet
Kawehi

The adornment
Kawelo

The fluttering; name of a legendary hero
Keahi

The fire
Kealakaʻi

The leader, the guide
Keale

Possibly the billow, the ripple
Kealiʻi

The chief
Kealoha

The love, affection
Keanaʻāina

The cave of the land
Keao

The daylight; the cloud
Keaulana

The floating current
Keawe

The strand; name of a ruling chief of Hawaiʻi
Kekahu

The guardian, the attendant
Kekahuna

The priest, the expert
Kekaula

The seer, the prophet
Kekaulike

The balance; equality
Kekoa

The warrior; the brave one
Kekona

The leeward side
Kekua

Possibly the back, or the god
Kekumu

The source, the foundation
Keliʻi

The chief; variant of Kealiʻi
Keliʻihoʻomalu

The chief who brings peace
Keliʻikoa

The warrior chief
Keliʻinui

The great chief
Kenoi

Possibly the request
Keola

The life
Kinimaka

Many eyes
Kuahiwinui

The great mountain
Kuakini

Many backs; many retainers
Kuamoʻo

Backbone; path, road
Kumukahi

The first beginning; origin

L

Lanakila

Victory; to triumph

M

Mahoe

Twin; also a native tree
Makanani

Possibly beautiful gift, or beautiful eyes
Makua

Parent; elder of the family
Malo

Loincloth worn by men
Moku

Island, district; ship

N

Nāhale

The houses
Naʻauao

Wise, learned
Nakoa

The warriors; the brave ones
Nāmakelua

The two eyes
Nāone

The sands
Nāpuʻu

The hills
Nuʻuhiwa

Nuku Hiva, island in the Marquesas

P

Pahinui

Big knife
Paʻahana

Industrious, hardworking
Pali

Cliff, steep hill
Piʻikoi

To aspire; to claim
Poepoe

Round, rounded
Pua

Flower; offspring
Puhi

Eel; to blow
Pukui

Possibly gathering place; center

W

Waiheʻe

Slippery water; octopus water

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Kahele

The traveler; the going
Waiheʻe

Slippery water; octopus water
Kealiʻi

The chief
Kaleikini

The many leis; the many beloved ones
Kahalewai

The house of water
Kawelo

The fluttering; name of a legendary hero

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How Hawaiian families came to share one name

Before Western contact, Hawaiians used a single personal name, often long and full of meaning, and family ties were traced through genealogy chants rather than a shared surname. That changed with the Act to Regulate Names, signed by King Kamehameha IV in 1860. It required every child to receive a Christian first name and to take the father's name as a surname. Over the next generations, a grandfather's Hawaiian given name became the family name his descendants still carry.

This explains why many Hawaiian last names look like complete personal names or phrases. Kealoha means the beloved, Kahale the house, Kalani the heavens or royal one, and Kamakana the gift. The prefix ka or ke is the definite article, so dozens of surnames begin with it. Other families carry names like Keawe, from a famous chief of Hawaiʻi Island, or names whose poetic meaning was tied to an event in an ancestor's life and is now only partly understood.

Hawaiian last names and meanings: reading the words

The Hawaiian alphabet has only thirteen letters: the vowels a, e, i, o and u, the consonants h, k, l, m, n, p and w, and the ʻokina, a glottal stop written like a reversed apostrophe. A line over a vowel, called a kahakō, makes it longer. These marks change meaning, so branches of the same family may spell a name like Kaʻaihue differently. Many families lost the marks in official records during the twentieth century.

To pronounce a name, give each vowel its own sound: a as in father, e as in bet, i as in machine, o as in hold and u as in rule. Every syllable ends in a vowel, and stress usually falls on the second to last syllable. So Kahananui is ka-ha-na-NU-i, and Kealoha is ke-a-LO-ha. Long names become easy once you break them into parts, and many parts repeat: nui means big, lani means sky or heaven, and wai means fresh water.

Common Hawaiian last names and island diversity

Everyday surnames in Hawaii reflect the plantation era as much as native tradition. From the 1850s sugar plantations recruited workers from China, Portugal, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, and their descendants now make up much of the population. Names like Wong, Nakamura, Medeiros and Agbayani are as local as any Hawaiian word. Among native Hawaiian families, Kahale, Kealoha, Kalama, Kahananui and Kanahele are among the names you will meet most often.

Some names mix both worlds. Chinese immigrants were often recorded with the familiar prefix Ah joined to a given name, producing island surnames such as Akana, Ahuna and Akina. When you choose a name for a character with Hawaiian heritage, think about family history. A single family can easily include a Kealoha grandmother, a Medeiros father and a Nakamura cousin, and that mix is exactly what makes names in Hawaii so distinctive.

Frequently asked questions

What does the ka at the start of many Hawaiian last names mean?

Ka and ke both mean the. Hawaiian uses ke before words starting with a, e, o or k, and ka before most others. Because so many family names were once descriptive personal names, they often begin with the article, as in Kahale (the house), Kealoha (the beloved) and Kalani (the heavens).

Can anyone use a Hawaiian family name?

Legally, anyone can. Culturally, many Hawaiian names are tied to specific genealogies, and some families see their name as part of their inheritance. If you are naming a character, treat the name with the same care you would give any real family name. For a real person without Hawaiian ancestry, a Hawaiian first name is more usual than a surname.

Why do some names in the list have an ʻokina?

The ʻokina marks a glottal stop, a short break in the voice like the pause in uh-oh. It is a full consonant in Hawaiian, not decoration, and leaving it out can change the meaning of a word. Official records often omitted it, so the same family name may appear with or without the mark.

What was the 1860 Act to Regulate Names?

It was a law signed by King Kamehameha IV that required Hawaiian children to have a Christian given name plus the father's name as a surname. Before it, most Hawaiians used a single name. The act is the reason many Hawaiian surnames today are the personal names of ancestors who lived in the mid nineteenth century.