This is a list of submitted names in which the usage is Polynesian; and the pattern is *** or meaning.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Taini f Maori (Rare)This is the name of Taini Morrison who was a Maori arts performer in New Zealand.
Taitearii m TahitianMeans "king of the sea", a combination of Tahitian
tai meaning "sea" and
te ari'i meaning "the king".
Tākuta m MaoriMeaning as of yet unknown. A known bearer of this name is the Maori politician Tākuta Ferris (b. 1978) from New Zealand.
Tamaeva f PolynesianA famous bearer of this name is Tamaeva IV, queen of the Polynesian island of Rimatara.
Tamairangi f MaoriMeaning as of yet unknown. This was the name of a 19th-century Maori tribal leader and poet.
Tamaki m MaoriMaori name meaning the Auckland area of New Zealand.
Tamakororo m MorioriThis name may also been used and may be use by females today. This was the name of a Moriori man who was killed in 1791 after a misunderstanding over a fishing net with the first outsiders who came to what is now the Chatham Islands.
Tamatea m Maori, Polynesian MythologyMeans "the Moon, on the 8th night of a lunar month, first quarter lunar phase" in Maori. Tamatea Arikinui or Tamatea Mai-Tawhiti was a legendary Maori chieftain who captained the Tākitimu on its journey from the legendary place Hawaiki to New Zealand.
Tame m MorioriMeaning of this name is apparently unknown. This was the name of the last full blooded Moriori (Owenga and Otonga tribes) Tame Horomona Rehe aka Tommy Solomon (1884-1933) and Moriori elder Tame Tainui Tawarere.
Tapu f MaoriMeans "sacred" and "forbidden" in Māori.
Tara f & m MaoriMeans "peak, point" in Māori. Also Māori for "sternidae".
Taraina f TahitianTahitian name, composed by "tara", meaning "star" or "light" and "aina", meaning "earth". Hence the meaning is "star on earth" or "light on earth".
Tariana f MaoriPossibly derived from Maori
tāriana meaning "stallion".... [
more]
Tarita f Polynesian, English (American), Popular CultureThe name was borne by the native Polynesian actress Tarita Teriipia who became the third wife of Marlon Brando. Initial research indicates its a Sanskrit name meaning, "to overcome obstacles" but this needs further research.
Taufa m TonganTongan given name and surname meaning "warrior" and "storm". Taufa is also a god in Tongan mythology.
Taurekareka m MaoriMeaning as of yet unknown. A notable bearer of this name is the Maori politician Taurekareka Hēnare (1878-1940) from New Zealand.
Tava'esina f SamoanDerived from the Samoan
tava'e meaning "tropical bird" and
sina meaning "white, grey, silver".
Tawhā m MaoriMeans "caldera/boundary line" in Māori. Short for Tū-te-tawhā - loosely translated as 'holding the boundary'. Tū-te-tawhā was a Māori chieftain of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa tribe.
Teanau m MaoriMeaning as of yet unknown. A notable bearer of this name is the Maori politician Teanau Tuiono (b. 1972) from New Zealand.
Te Ao m & f MaoriMeans "the world, the day, the cloud" in Māori.
Te Arani f MaoriPossibly from
te ārani meaning "the orange" (referring to the fruit, not the colour).
Te Aroha f & m MaoriMeans "the love" in Maori (
te, "the" and
aroha, "love"). A variant of
Aroha.
Tehani f Tahitian, Hawaiian, LiteratureDerived from Tahitian
te meaning "the" and
hani meaning "darling". This was used for a character in the novel
Mutiny on the Bounty (1932) by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall... [
more]
Tehea f TahitianFeminine of the unisex name, Tehei, meaning 'crown'.
Teina m & f Maorimeans "brother" in Maori language.
Te Kāhu m & f MaoriMeans "harrier hawk" in Māori. Transliteration of "hawk".
Temaeva f PolynesianPolynesian origin name, based on the name Maeva, the meaning is "welcome".
Te Poki m MaoriThe possibly meaning of this name is, "to clear the garden." This was the name of a Senior Ngati Mutunga chief.
Terava f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
te meaning "the" and
rava meaning "dark, brownish".
Tereapiʻi f & m Cook Islands MaoriMeans "journey to learn," derived from
tere meaning "trip, voyage, journey" and
apiʻi meaning "learn, study."
Terevaura f PolynesianPolynesian origin name, based on "reva", meaning "to rise" and "ura", meaning "red" or "brightness"; hence the meaning can be interpreted as "raising to the brightness", "raising to the light".
Teuira m & f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
te meaning "the" and
uira meaning "lightning".
Teura m & f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
te meaning "the" and
'ura, an archaic term meaning "red".
Tevahine f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
te meaning "the" and
vahine meaning "woman".
Tevaria f PolynesianPolynesian origin name, meaning "the flourishing", "the blooming".
Tiaki m MaoriMaori form of
Jack, coinciding with the Maori word meaning "guard, keep">
Tiareura f Polynesian, TahitianPolynesian origin name, composed by "Tiare", referred to a flower named Tiare and "ura", referred to a typical Polynesian dance. Hence the meaning can be interpreted as "dancing Tiare", "dancing flower".
Tio m MaoriMeans "freezing cold" in Māori. Also Māori form of
Joe Tipi f & m MaoriIt means “affect by incantations” and “pare, slice, pare off”. This is the name of a female cousin of Senior Ngati Mutunga Chief Patukawenga who was married to a Waikato chief of Ngatikoroki named Taui... [
more]
Titaina f TahitianCombination of Tahitian
taina meaning "Gardenia jasminoides" (a type of flower) and the prefix
ti- meaning "small".
Toareva m PolynesianPolynesian origin name, meaning "noble warrior", "noble hero" or "handsome warrior", "handsome hero".
Torea m MorioriThis name means oystercatcher. This was the name of a Owenga Moriori Chief named Torea Takarehe (d. 1876) who was the teacher of Moriori elder Hirawanu
Tapu.
Toroa f & m MaoriDerived from Maori
toroa "albatross", ultimately from Maori
toro "to stretch; to extend".
Tui f & m MaoriTui is the Maori name for the bird (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae), which are easily identified for their small tuft of white feathers at the neck.... [
more]
Tusitala m SamoanMeans "teller of tales" in Samoan. This name was adopted by the writer Robert Louis Stevenson when he lived on the island.
Ualani f HawaiianMeans "rain from heaven" or "heavenly rain" in Hawaiian.
Uinirau m TahitianContracted form of the Tahitian phrase
te manu ri'i 'uini rau maruao meaning "small birds chirping at dawn".
Uira m & f TahitianContracted form of the Tahitian phrase
'anapa te uira i te 'iriātai meaning "lighting flashing across the horizon".
Ululani f HawaiianMeans "heavenly inspiration" from Hawaiian
ulu "to grow, be inspired" and
lani "heaven, sky". This was the name of a ruler of Hilo.
Uluwehi f HawaiianFrom the Hawaiian
uluwehi, "a lush and beautiful verdure; a place where beautiful plants live".
Ura m & f TahitianFrom Tahitian
'ura meaning "red" or "purple".
Uraatua m & f TahitianDerived from
ura meaning "red" and
atua meaning "god".
Uravini m TahitianCombination of Tahitian
'ura meaning "red" or "purple" and
vini meaning "black-fronted parakeet" (a type of bird found on Tahiti).
Vaea m & f Tongan, Samoan, Tahitian, Polynesian MythologyMeaning unknown, though it likely means "king, prince, noble, chief" based on the fact that the meaning of Mapu 'a Vaea, natural blowholes in Houma on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga, is known to be 'Whistle of the Noble/Chief/King' in Tongan... [
more]
Vahineura f PolynesianPolynesian name, composed by "vahine", meaning "woman" and "ura", referred to a Polynesian typical dance. Hence the meaning can be interpreted as "dancing woman".
Vaiana f TahitianMeans "water cave" or "rock water" in Tahitian, from the phrase
vai ana o te mato teitei meaning "water from the cave of the high rock".
Vaianu f TahitianContracted form of the Tahitian phrase
vai anu o te rua mato meaning "fresh water from the rock hole".
Vaiarii m & f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
vai meaning "water" and
ari'i meaning "high chief, king", idiomatically meaning "royal water".
Vaiata f TahitianMeans "rain" (literally "water of the clouds"), from Tahitian
vai meaning "water" and
ata meaning "cloud".
Vaiatea f & m TahitianMeans "distant waters" from Tahitian
vai meaning "water" and
atea meaning "distant, far away".
Vaimitiarii f TahitianFrom the Tahitian
vai meaning "water",
miti meaning "sea", and
ari'i meaning "noble", ultimately "noble sea water".
Vaipoe f TahitianDerived from the Tahitian word
vai meaning "water" and
poe meaning "pearl".
Vaite f TahitianDerived from Tahitian
vāite meaning "soul, spirit".
Vaitea m TahitianMeans "clear water"; a combination of Tahitian
vai meaning "water" and
tea meaning "white, clear".
Vaiura m & f TahitianDerived from the Tahitian
vai meaning "water" and archaic
'ura meaning "red".
Vasa m & f SamoanMeans "(open) ocean, sea" in Samoan.
Vaura f Polynesian, TahitianPolynesian origin name, composed by "vai", meaning "water" and "ura", referred to a typical Polynesian dance; hence the meaning can be interpreted as "dancing water".
Wahineʻaeʻa f HawaiianFrom the Hawaiian word
wahine meaning "woman" and
'ae'a meaning "wandering".
Wai f & m Polynesian, HawaiianFrom the proto-Polynesian root
*waiʀ meaning "water" in most Polynesian languages.
Waiaria f MaoriFrom
wai meaning "water" and
āria meaning "tidal pool".
Waiata f & m MaoriMeans "song" in Maori. Combined with
Aroha it means "song of love, love song" Waiata-aroha.
Wailani f HawaiianMeans "heavenly water" from Hawaiian
wai "water" and
lani "heaven, sky".
Waiola f HawaiianDerived from Hawaiian
wai "(fresh) water" and
ola "life". It is sometimes Anglicized as
Viola.
Waipuna m HawaiianMeaning "spring water", from the Hawaiian elements
wai "water" and
puna "spring (of water)".
Waitara f MaoriDerived from the Maori
waitara, possibly meaning "mountain stream" or "pure water".
Wharekura m MaoriThis name means "school of learning". Its also the name of a building where tohunga (priest) taught esoteric lore to students of his. This was the name of a Ngati Tama chief named Te Wharekura of the Ngati Wai Ngati Tama clan who along with his clan killed and cooked 50 Moriori in the mid-1800s at Te Raki in what is now Chatham Islands.
Winika f MaoriFrom the Maori name of Christmas orchids (
Dendrobium cunninghamii), a type of orchid that is endemic to the New Zealand. This name could also be written as
Te Winika, which means "the Christmas orchid".