Hawaiian couple Raymond and Anna Judd had at least 8 children during the 1920s and 1930s.
On the 1940 U.S. Census, their children are listed as Raymond Jr., Louise, James, Maxwell, Lydia, Lehua, Reginald, and Nayland.
But their full names were really…
- Raymond Murray Laniolaikapikoihiihilauakea (b. 1922)
- Louise Julia Kalaninuiahilepalepa (b. 1923)
- James Haulukaokeahienaena (b. 1924)
- Maxwell Winfred Kuuleimamoulukapaehuokalani (b. 1927)
- Lydia Anna Haleakala (b. 1928)
- Marvelle Pauline Kaualililehua “Lehua” (b. 1930)
- Reginald Wilhelm Kananinoheaokuuhomeopuukaimanaalohilohinokeaweaweulamakaokalani (b. 1936)
- Nayland Clayton Kaleinaonalani (b. 1938)
At least two of these names ended up making the news.
The one that popped up in papers worldwide was Reginald’s Hawaiian name, which had 63 letters and was said to mean “the beautiful aroma of my home at sparkling diamond hill is carried to the eyes of heaven.” I don’t know how accurate this definition is, but I could find some of the corresponding Hawaiian words — like pu’u (meaning “hill”), kaimana (“diamond”), ‘alohilohi (“sparkling”), and maka (“eyes”) — in the name.
A decade earlier, Maxwell’s Hawaiian name was also in the news — at least locally.
I couldn’t find a translation of Maxwell’s Hawaiian name, or translations for any of the other Hawaiian names. (In fact, I’m not even 100% sure about the spellings of those names.) Regardless, here are some observations…
- Raymond’s Hawaiian name, Laniolaikapikoihiihilauakea, seems to refer to the ‘ihi’ihilauakea — a fern endemic to Hawaii.
- James’s Hawaiian name, Haulukaokeahienaena, seems to refer to a raging fire: ke (“the”), ahi (“fire”), ‘ena’ena (“glowing, red-hot, raging”).
- Lydia’s Hawaiian name, Haleakala, was the middle name of her grandmother (Louise Haleakala, b. 1879) and the first name of her great-grandmother (Haleaka, b. 1847). The word means “house of the sun” and refers to the volcano on Maui.
- Marvelle’s nickname, Lehua, from her Hawaiian name Kaualililehua, refers to the Lehua plant.
What are your thoughts on these names?
Sources:
- “Boy Gets Name With Sixty-Three Letters.” Saline Observer 24 Sept. 1936: 6.
- A Genealogy of the Judd Family in Hawaii. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society, 1922.
- “Kuuleimamoulukapaehuokalani.” Honolulu Advertiser 12 Jan. 1927: 3.
- “Miscellany.” Time 31 Aug. 1936.
- Raymond Murry Judd – Find a Grave
- “A Tongue Twister.” Daily Examiner [Grafton, NSW] 12 Oct. 1936: 4.
- Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian Language Dictionaries
Aloha. My name is Leomana
Kaualililehua is my tutu. My grama we call her puna she was the granddaughter and lived with her. She was the most notable of the family. She was a dr. Kahuna laaulapaau and the matriarch of east oahu. From palolo to Makapuu. She wrote the maps of the island and gave all the names that we know of today. Her daughter was young and had my grama. So she lived and was the only one raised by kualililehua.
Her ohana and Moopuna all carry the ancient traditions of Hawai’i and we all have leadership roles to the lahui and culture of Hawaii.
Mahalo for this page and post.
Mahalo for your comment, Leomana! :)
My godfather was Nayland and I was five part of his name as my own. Kaleionalani is one of my middle names. I never got the chance to meet him since he and my aunt divorced shortly after I was born at Tripler. I do carry is gifted name with me and always will. I do have a photo of the two of us shortly after I was born. We left Honolulu when I was only one month old and finally returned in 2007. We will be retiring in a couple of years on Big Island. It will be good to come home.
Thank you for the comment, Donald!
Curiously, your second middle name is slightly shorter than Nayland’s second middle name — at least, the version of it that I found online. (The difference is an extra “na.”) I wonder now if the spelling I used in the post isn’t correct…?
I would leave. I was told that it was part of one of his brothers names. The brother with 99 letters in his name. I can ask my cousin. She was probably 10 when I was born. I will get back to you. I was also told that Nayland had a sister who was a lounge singer. My mom has one of her albums, but I don’t see her name. Maybe she used a stage name?