Jelani
A Swahili name taken from the Arabic al-Jilani, meaning from Gilan, a region of northern Iran. It refers to the twelfth-century scholar Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani.
Jelani in 2025
Jelani was given to 134 babies in the United States in 2025 — 67 boys and 67 girls, making it the 2,903rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 24,741 babies born.
The history of Jelani
Jelani reached its highest point in 2023, when 218 babies were given the name, ranking 2,115th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 1,941st, in 1998.
Across the 53 years of records since 1973, 5,660 babies have been named Jelani. Half of them were born before 2004, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Jelani by decade
| Decade | Babies named Jelani | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 393 | 2,476 |
| 1980s | 577 | 2,476 |
| 1990s | 1,243 | 1,941 |
| 2000s | 1,309 | 2,191 |
| 2010s | 1,107 | 2,909 |
| 2020s | 1,031 | 2,115 |
Where Jelani is heading
Jelani has risen 26% over the past decade, from 106 babies in 2015 to 134 in 2025.
Names like Jelani
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Jelani.