Alika

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Alika

Pronounced ah-LEE-kah /ɑːˈliː.kɑː/Medium

Meaning: In Hawaiian, Alika is the local rendering of the English name Alexander, itself Greek for 'defender of the people.' The same spelling turns up separately as a Yoruba name understood as 'most beautiful.' For a boy in the United States either route is plausible, so we note the ambiguity honestly.Low

In 30 seconds: Alika is the Hawaiian form of Alexander, 'defender,' and also stands as a Yoruba name meaning 'most beautiful.' It surfaced for United States boys in the early nineteen-seventies (said ah-LEE-kah).

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Origin LowHawaiian, Yoruba

MeaningIn Hawaiian, Alika is the local rendering of the English name Alexander, itself Greek for 'defender of the people.' The same spelling turns up separately as a Yoruba name understood as 'most beautiful.' For a boy in the United States either route is plausible, so we note the ambiguity honestly.

U.S. rank (2023)#10876 ↘ Falling

2023 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1998

Total births (all-time)≈ 635

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Alika is best known as the Hawaiian form of Alexander, the Greek name meaning 'defender of the people,' reshaped to fit the sounds of the islands. The identical spelling also lives as a Yoruba name glossed as 'most beautiful,' and both routes have carried it onto United States birth records. It first appears for American boys in the early nineteen-seventies and drifted along quietly for decades.

It was never common, given to only a couple dozen boys a year even at its high in the late nineteen-nineties, so a boy named Alika then would be in his twenties today. It reads as a heritage name rather than a revival, prized by families with Hawaiian or West African ties.

Did you know? Alika carries two honest readings at once: to Hawaiian ears it is simply Alexander, while in Yoruba it is understood as 'most beautiful' — a rare case where one small name sits in two cultures.

Overall data confidence 40%

References - Alika — Hawaiian form of Alexander; separate Yoruba reading; routes uncertain

Variations

AlexanderAlekaAlik

Nicknames

AliLikaAl

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Alika…

Kai— a like island-rooted boy's name

Keanu— another Hawaiian-heritage pick

Malik— shares the soft two-and-three-beat flow

Alejandro— a fellow form of Alexander

Explore names like Alika

By themeuncertain rare heritage hawaiian

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Alika mean?

It is the Hawaiian form of Alexander ('defender of the people') and, by a separate route, a Yoruba name meaning 'most beautiful.'

How do you pronounce Alika?

It's said ah-LEE-kah /ɑːˈliː.kɑː/, three syllables with the stress in the middle.

Is Alika a boy or girl name?

Alika is used here as a boy's name.

How popular is Alika?

It has always been rare, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak in the late nineteen-nineties.