The story
- Proto-Nuclear Polynesian*faŋa
- HawaiianHana-
- HawaiianHono-
- Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*duŋduŋ
- Proto-Oceanic*ruru
- Hawaiianlulu
- HawaiianHonolul
- English todayHonolulu
From Hawaiian Honolulu, from hono (“bay, harbor”, cognate with Māori whanga) + lulu (“shelter”, cognate with Māori ruru). See also toponym Whangaruru in North Island, New Zealand.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.