Hawaiian Last Names and Meanings
45 Hawaiian surnames with their literal meanings. Most are the given name of an ancestor, frozen into a family name by an 1860 law.
Hawaiians did not use inherited surnames before the 19th century. Each person had one name, sometimes several, and the family was known through genealogy chants rather than a shared last name. In 1860 King Kamehameha IV signed a law requiring every child to take the father’s given name as a surname. That is why so many Hawaiian last names are simply first names with ka or ke (“the”) in front, Kealoha, Kahale, Kamaka, Kekoa.
The most common surnames in Hawaiʻi today are actually Japanese, Filipino, and Chinese, reflecting plantation-era immigration. Among Native Hawaiian family names, Kealoha, Kahananui, Kaʻai, Akana, Kanahele, and Mahoe are the ones you will meet most often.
| Surname | Meaning | Literal | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akana | Hawaiianized Chinese surname (from Ah Kana) | Chinese origin | Many Hawaiian-Chinese families took the given name of an ancestor plus 'Ah' as a surname. |
| Kahaʻi | the narrator, a legendary voyaging chief | ka (the) + haʻi (to tell) | |
| Kahale | the house | ka (the) + hale (house) | |
| Kahanamoku | the house of the island (popular reading) | ka (the) + hana (work, bay) + moku (island, district) | Duke Kahanamoku (1890 to 1968), Olympic swimmer and father of modern surfing. |
| Kahananui | the great work | ka (the) + hana (work) + nui (great) | |
| Kahawai | the stream | ka (the) + hāwai (stream) | |
| Kahikina | the east, the arrival | ka (the) + hikina (east, rising) | |
| Kahoʻohanohano | the one who brings honor | ka (the) + hoʻohanohano (to honor) | |
| Kaʻai | the food, the sustenance | ka (the) + ʻai (food) | |
| Kaʻaihue | the thief (a nickname turned surname) | ka (the) + ʻaihue (to steal) | |
| Kaʻanaʻanā | the sorcery, a family name from Hawaiʻi Island | ka (the) + ʻanāʻanā | |
| Kaʻawa | the ʻawa plant (kava) | ka (the) + ʻawa | |
| Kaʻiwi | the bone, the lineage | ka (the) + iwi (bone, ancestry) | |
| Kalākaua | the day of battle | ka (the) + lā (day) + kaua (battle) | |
| Kaleikini | the many lei, the multitude of children | ka (the) + lei + kini (multitude) | |
| Kalilikane | the small man | ka (the) + liʻiliʻi (small) + kāne (man) | |
| Kalima | the hand, the five | ka (the) + lima (hand, five) | |
| Kalua | the pit, the earth oven | ka (the) + lua (pit) | |
| Kaluna | the top, the upper one | ka (the) + luna (above) | |
| Kamaka | the eye, the beloved | ka (the) + maka (eye, favorite) | |
| Kamakau | the fishhook | ka (the) + makau (fishhook) | Samuel Kamakau (1815 to 1876) was a leading Hawaiian historian. |
| Kamehameha | the lonely one, the one set apart | ka (the) + mehameha (solitary) | The royal dynasty that ruled Hawaiʻi from 1795 to 1872. |
| Kanahele | the forest | ka (the) + nahele (forest) | |
| Kanaka | person, human being | kanaka (person) | |
| Kaneshiro | Japanese surname common in Hawaiʻi (Okinawan origin) | Japanese origin | Included because it ranks among the most common surnames in Hawaiʻi today. |
| Kaniho | the tooth | ka (the) + niho (tooth) | |
| Kapena | captain | kāpena (captain) | |
| Kapoi | the poi | ka (the) + poi | |
| Kapule | the prayer | ka (the) + pule (prayer) | |
| Kauhane | the spirit, the soul | ka (the) + ʻuhane (spirit) | |
| Kauʻi | the youthful beauty | ka (the) + uʻi (youthful) | |
| Kaupu | the albatross (popular reading) | kaʻupu (a seabird) | |
| Kealakai | the sea path | ke (the) + ala (path) + kai (sea) | |
| Kealoha | the love, the beloved | ke (the) + aloha (love) | One of the most common Hawaiian surnames. |
| Keawe | the strand, an ancient chiefly line of Hawaiʻi Island | ke (the) + awe (strand) | |
| Kekahuna | the priest, the expert | ke (the) + kahuna (priest, master) | |
| Kekoa | the brave one | ke (the) + koa (brave) | |
| Kekumu | the source, the teacher | ke (the) + kumu (foundation, teacher) | |
| Keliʻi | the chief | ke (the) + aliʻi (chief) | |
| Mahoe | twin | māhoe (twin) | |
| Makua | parent, elder | makua (parent) | |
| Nakoa | the brave ones, the warriors | nā (the, plural) + koa (warrior) | |
| Naone | the sands | nā (the, plural) + one (sand) | |
| Pahinui | big knife | pahi (knife) + nui (big) | Gabby Pahinui was a pioneer of slack-key guitar. |
| Waiau | swirling water | wai (water) + au (current) |
How to read a Hawaiian surname
- Ka / Ke = the. Ka-hale is “the house”, Ke-awe is “the strand”.
- Nā = the (plural). Nā-koa is “the warriors”, Nā-one is “the sands”.
- Nui = big or great. Kahana-nui is “the great work”, Pahi-nui is “big knife”.
- Wai = fresh water and kai = sea. Wai-au is “swirling water”, Keala-kai is “the sea path”.
Looking for a first name instead? Browse Hawaiian girl names, boy names, or the full A to Z list.