International Baby Names
Polynesian and South Sea Islander Names
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About this list
As Hawaiian names become more visible and more popular internationally, interest has grown in names throughout the South Sea Islands.
Disney's Moana put a spotlight on several Polynesian mythology names, including the Hawaiian place name Maui. Other names from Polynesian mythology gaining wider visibility include Tane, a powerful sky god, and Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess.
Adding to their appeal, many of these names have stylish nature meanings related to the sea, sky, or flowers.
In this group of Polynesian names and South Sea Island namers, we also include Fijian names, Tahitian names, Tongan names, and Maori names. Here is our full list of names from the Polynesian and South Sea islands.
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The names
Malakai
Fijian and Tongan form of Malachi
Malakai puts a South Sea Island spin on the Biblical Malachi, which may be just what It needs to fit in with contemporary trends.
Ana
Variation of Hannah
"grace"
Confident and compact, Ana is a widely used variation of the Biblical Hannah. Favored in Spain, Slovenia, Bosnia, Portugal, and Croatia, this shorter spelling has the same substance and versatility…
Maia
Greek
"mother"
Maia was derived from the Greek word maia , meaning "mother." In Greek legend, she was the fair-haired daughter of Atlas who mothered Zeus's favorite illegitimate son, Hermes. To the Romans, Maia was…
Kane
Celtic
"warrior"
A name of multiple identities: a somewhat soap-operatic single-syllable surname, a homonym for the biblical bad boy Cain, and, when found in Japan and Hawaii, it transforms into the two syllable…
Tevita
Fijian and Tongan form of David
David is a classic Biblical name with many international versions. This South SeaI Islander name is largely unknown in the wider world.
Viliami
Tongan form of William
William has any international variations, including the super-popular Liam. This version is largely unknown beyond the South Sea Islands.
Sione
Tongan and Samoan form of John, Hebrew
"God is gracious"
John is a name that's widely translated around the world, and this is one of the more unusual options. It is known internationally largely through rugby players, such as Sione Tuipulotu, captain of…
Marama
Maori and Tahitian
"moon; bright"
The name of a male lunar deity in Maori mythology, Marama is nevertheless now used as a female name in New Zealand – no doubt because its warm sound lends itself to contemporary feminine trends. In…
Maui
Hawaiian, Polynesian mythology
The name of the second-biggest (and third-most populous) island in Hawaii was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2017. A major factor was surely Dwayne Johnson's character in Moana , the…
Moana
Maori, Samoan
"deep ocean, sea"
This Maori name, often heard in New Zealand, is an attractive, evocative choice for lovers of the ocean made famous – perhaps too famous – by the Disney heroine. Moana was also an alternate name for…