Akeelah is of Swahili origin, meaning 'wise one'. It's pronounced /a-ke-LEE-a/. This unique name gained prominence in the United States after the release of the film 'Akeelah and the Bee' in 2006, which featured a young girl named Akeelah competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"Births named Akeelah peaked in 2006 with 403 babies, then declined steadily to a low of 20 in 2023."