Jelani: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “mighty”
- Origin
- Swahili
- Say it
- juh-LAH-nee · 3 syllables
- Used for
- Boys (84% of all uses)
From Swahili, used as a given name in East Africa and the African diaspora. It is well established as a personal name with the sense 'mighty' or 'powerful.'
How popular is Jelani?
Babies named Jelani in 2024181
2024 rank#1,756 boys
Peak year2023
Total US babies since 18805,525
Jelani is rising: use over the last five years is 1.9× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Jelani
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Jelani questions
What does the name Jelani mean?
Jelani means "mighty". It comes from Swahili. From Swahili, used as a given name in East Africa and the African diaspora. It is well established as a personal name with the sense 'mighty' or 'powerful.'
Is Jelani a boy or girl name?
Jelani is mainly a boy's name in US records (84% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Jelani?
181 US babies were named Jelani in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.
How do you pronounce Jelani?
Jelani is usually pronounced juh-LAH-nee.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.