Iolani’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Iolani
Iolani's Notebook puts her name front and center, written in flowing script across a soft watercolor apple blossom design.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Iolani's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
Iolani: meaning and origin
Iolani is a Hawaiian name, written ʻIolani in Hawaiian, with the ʻokina (glottal stop) at the front, and pronounced roughly “ee-oh-LAH-nee”. It joins two Hawaiian words: ʻio, the Hawaiian hawk, and lani, which means “sky, heaven, royal, majesty”. So it is translated as “royal hawk” or “heavenly hawk”. The name was carried by two of Hawaiʻi’s kings.
Nicknames and variants
The second half of Iolani, lani, is a Hawaiian name in its own right. It also appears in other Hawaiian names, like Leilani (“heavenly flowers”) and Kailani (“sea and sky”). Wikipedia describes ʻIolani as traditionally a masculine name, but it has been carried by women too, most famously the hula master ʻIolani Luahine. One practical note: the cover spells the name simply “Iolani”, without the ʻokina.
Famous people named Iolani
ʻIolani Luahine, born Harriet Lanihau Makekau, was a celebrated kumu hula (hula master), dancer and chanter, called “Hawaii’s last great exponent of the sacred hula ceremony” by The New York Times. A hula festival is held in her memory. ʻIolani was also part of the full names of King Kamehameha II and King Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho ʻIolani).
Is Iolani a popular name?
Iolani is rare on the mainland. It has never appeared in the US top 1,000 baby names in Social Security records, and Behind the Name has no US ranking data for it at all. In Hawaiʻi, though, it’s a name everyone recognizes, thanks to the palace and the school that carry it. An Iolani is almost guaranteed to be the only one in the room.
Iolani trivia
Honolulu’s ʻIolani Palace, named in honor of Kamehameha IV and completed in 1882, was the home of Hawaiʻi’s last monarchs and is the only royal palace on US soil. Today it is a museum. ʻIolani School, also in Honolulu, got its name in 1870 from Queen Emma, Kamehameha IV’s widow. The ʻio itself is now found only on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi.
Gift ideas that suit an Iolani
- For a trip to Hawaiʻi. A travel journal, with a visit to ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu at the top of the list.
- For a dancer. Choreography notes and chants, in honor of ʻIolani Luahine.
- For a birdwatcher. Her name means “royal hawk”. Sightings, sketches and notes from the trail.
- For a graduate. A notebook for the next chapter, for a student at ʻIolani School or anywhere else.
How Iolani can use it
Any Iolani, of any age. The 6" x 9" size is roomy enough for proper writing and small enough for a handbag or school bag. With 160 plain lined pages there’s no fixed layout, so it can be a diary, a gratitude journal, a study notebook, a recipe book or a home for to-do lists. Notebooks tend to multiply in drawers, but one with her name on the front is instantly hers.
The little things that make it hers
There’s something about seeing your own name in print. It makes a notebook feel like it belongs to you, which is a good reason to fill it. It also means Iolani can pick hers out of a pile in a second, at school, at work or on the kitchen counter.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Iolani’s Notebook? About the size of a trade paperback book: 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9 cm), 160 lined pages.
Where do I buy it? It’s sold on Amazon in the US, Australia and the UK. Amazon prints and ships each copy and handles delivery and returns.
Do you have other names? Yes, the same apple blossom design comes in hundreds of girls’ names. Start at all name notebooks or our personalized name notebooks guide.
Get Iolani's Notebook on Amazon
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