indicate the level to which a name has been verified.Meaning & History
Maori form of Ishmael. Also an indigenous Maori name derived from ihi meaning "charm" and "ray of light". Surname of 'The Whale Rider' author Witi Ihimaera (b. 1944). This is also the name of Owenga and Otonga Moriori Ihimaera Rehe (d. 1903) who was a daughter of Owenga-Otonga chief and mother of the last full blooded Moriori Tommy Solomon.