Browse Names

Abbán m Old Irish
Means "little abbot", derived from Irish abb "abbot" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint, the son of King Cormac of Leinster.

Adva f Hebrew
Means "small wave, ripple" in Hebrew.

Aenoheso m Indigenous American, Cheyenne
Means "little hawk", from Cheyenne aénohe "hawk" and the diminutive suffix -so.

Alan m English, Scottish, Breton, French
The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It was used in Brittany at least as early as the 6th century, and it possibly means either "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton. Alternatively, it may derive from the tribal name of the Alans, an Iranian people who migrated into Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries.... [more]

Aodhán m Irish
From the Old Irish name Áedán meaning "little fire", a diminutive of Áed (see Aodh). This name was borne by a 6th-century king of Dál Riata. It was also the name of a few early Irish saints, including a 6th-century bishop of Ferns and a 7th-century bishop of Lindisfarne.

Aoibhín f Irish
Diminutive of Aoibhe.

Asterix m Popular Culture
The name of a Gaulish hero (Astérix in the original French) in a comic book series of the same name, debuting 1959. His name is a pun based on French astérisque meaning "asterisk, little star" but appearing to end with the Gaulish element rix meaning "king" (seen for example in the historical figure Vercingetorix). All male Gauls in the series have humorous names ending with -ix.

Attila m History, Hungarian, Turkish
Probably means "little father" from Gothic atta "father" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century leader of the Huns, a nomadic people from Central Asia who had expanded into Eastern Europe by the 4th century. Attila was likely the name given to him by his Gothic-speaking subjects in Eastern Europe; his real name may have been Avitohol.

Aulus m Ancient Roman
Possibly from Latin avulus meaning "little grandfather", though it could be from the Etruscan name Aule, which was possibly derived from avils meaning "years". This was a Roman praenomen, or given name. Folk etymology connects it to Latin aula meaning "palace".

Babak m Persian
From Middle Persian 𐭯𐭠𐭯𐭪𐭩 (Papak) meaning "little father". This was the name of the father of Ardashir, the founder of the Sasanian Empire in Persia. It was also borne by the 9th-century resistance leader Babak Khorramdin.

Beathag f Scottish Gaelic
Feminine form of Beathan.

Beathan m Scottish Gaelic
Derived from a diminutive of Scottish Gaelic beatha meaning "life".

Beckett m English (Modern)
From an English surname that could be derived from various sources, including from Middle English bec meaning "beak" or bekke meaning "stream, brook".

Bláthíne f Irish Mythology
Variant of Bláthnat using a different diminutive suffix, used in some versions of the legend.

Bláthnat f Irish Mythology
Means "little flower" from Irish bláth "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend she was a maiden abducted and married by Cú Roí. She was rescued by Cúchulainn, who killed her husband, but was in turn murdered by one of Cú Roí's loyal servants.

Bleddyn m Welsh
From Welsh blaidd "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.

Boris m Bulgarian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, German, French
From a Bulgar Turkic name, also recorded as Bogoris, perhaps meaning "short" or "wolf" or "snow leopard". It was borne by the 9th-century Boris I of Bulgaria who converted his realm to Christianity and is thus regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church. To the north in Kievan Rus it was the name of another saint, a son of Vladimir the Great who was murdered with his brother Gleb in the 11th century. His mother may have been Bulgarian.... [more]

Brooke f English
Variant of Brook. The name came into use in the 1950s, probably influenced by American socialite Brooke Astor (1902-2007). It was further popularized by actress Brooke Shields (1965-).

Brooks m English
From an English surname, a variant of Brook.

Cadell m Welsh (Rare)
From Old Welsh Catell, derived from cat "battle" and a diminutive suffix. This was the name of two early kings of Powys in Wales.

Caligula m History
Means "little boot" in Latin. This was a nickname for the 1st-century Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus given to him in his youth by his father's soldiers.

Calvin m English
Derived from the French surname Cauvin, which was derived from chauve meaning "bald". The surname was borne by Jean Cauvin (1509-1564), a theologian from France who was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. His surname was Latinized as Calvinus (based on Latin calvus "bald") and he is known as John Calvin in English. It has been used as a given name in his honour since the 19th century.... [more]

Caolán m Irish
From Irish caol meaning "slender" combined with the diminutive suffix -án.

Caomhán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Cóemán, derived from cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish saints.

Cathán m Old Irish
Derived from Old Irish cath "battle" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Cathán was a 6th-century Irish monk, a missionary to the Isle of Bute.

Chiumbo m Eastern African, Mwera
Means "small" in Mwera.

Cinderella f Literature
Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folk tale Cinderella about a maltreated young woman who eventually marries a prince. This old story is best known in the English-speaking world from the French author Charles Perrault's 1697 version. She has other names in other languages, usually with the meaning "ashes", such as German Aschenputtel and Italian Cenerentola.

Conán m Irish, Old Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Conan.

Conan m Irish
Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Irish cú "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early saints, including a 7th-century bishop of the Isle of Man. It appears in Irish legend as a companion Fionn mac Cumhaill. A famous bearer of it as a middle name was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. It is also the name of the hero of the Conan the Barbarian series of books, comics and movies, debuting 1932.

Corraidhín m Medieval Irish
Possibly means "little spear" from Irish corra "spear" and a diminutive suffix.

Cosette f French, Literature
From French chosette meaning "little thing". This is the nickname of the illegitimate daughter of Fantine in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables (1862). Her real name is Euphrasie, though it is seldom used. In the novel young Cosette is the ward of the cruel Thénardiers until she is retrieved by Jean Valjean.

Courtney f & m English
From an aristocratic English surname that was derived either from the French place name Courtenay (originally a derivative of the personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short") or else from a Norman nickname meaning "short nose".... [more]

Cowessess m Indigenous American, Ojibwe (Anglicized)
From an Ojibwe or Cree name recorded as Kiwisance, said to mean "little child", possibly related to Ojibwe gwiiwizens meaning "boy" or Cree ᐊᐋᐧᓯᐢ (awâsis) meaning "child". This was the name of a late 19th-century chief of a mixed band of Plains Cree and Saulteaux people.

Crofton m English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "town with a small enclosed field" in Old English.

Cúán m Old Irish
Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Old Irish cú meaning "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 8th-century saint.

Damán m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Damhán.

Damnat f Old Irish
Old Irish form of Damhnait.

Devika f Indian, Hindi
Means "little goddess" from Sanskrit देवी (devi) meaning "goddess" and क (ka) meaning "little".

Dubhán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Dubán meaning "little dark one", derived from dub "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a few early saints.

Eurig m Welsh
Derived from Welsh aur meaning "gold" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Faolán m Irish (Rare)
Means "little wolf", derived from Old Irish fáel "wolf" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint who did missionary work in Scotland.

Féchín m Old Irish
Means "little raven" from Old Irish fiach "raven" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an Irish saint of the 7th century, the founder of the monastery at Fore. He died of the yellow plague.

Fiorella f Italian
From Italian fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Fishel m Yiddish
Means "little fish" in Yiddish, a diminutive of פֿיש (fish) meaning "fish".

Frauke f German
Means "little lady", derived from German frau combined with a diminutive suffix.

Garbhán m Irish
From Old Irish Garbán meaning "little rough one", derived from garb "rough" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 7th-century Irish saint.

Gobán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Gobbán, derived from gobae "smith" and a diminutive suffix. It could also be a derivative of the name of the Irish smith god Goibniu (from the same root). This was the name of a few early saints, such as a 7th-century abbot of Killamery. In later folklore, the smith god and the saints seem to have conflated into the legendary figure Gobán Saor ("Gobán the builder"), a master architect and builder of churches.

Guendoloena f Arthurian Romance
Latin form of Gwendolen used by Geoffrey of Monmouth for the wife of Merlin.

Gwenneg m Breton
Derived from Breton gwenn meaning "white, blessed" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Gwenneg was an 8th-century monk of Brittany.

Harlow f & m English
From an English surname derived from a place name, itself derived from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill". As a name for girls, it received some attention in 2008 when the American celebrity Nicole Richie used it for her daughter.

Herschel m American, Yiddish
Variant of Hershel.

Hershel m American, Yiddish
Yiddish diminutive of Hirsh. As a non-Jewish American name (somewhat common around the end of the 19th century), it was likely inspired by the German surname Herschel, borne for instance by the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822).

Holger m Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, German
From the Old Norse name Hólmgeirr, derived from the elements holmr "small island" and geirr "spear". In La Chanson de Roland and other medieval French romances, this is the name of one of Charlemagne's knights, also named Ogier. He is said to be from Denmark.

Hólmfríðr f Old Norse
Old Norse name derived from the elements holmr "small island" and fríðr "beautiful, beloved".

Hurik f Armenian
Means "small fire" in Armenian.

Ingalill f Swedish
Combination of Inga and Swedish lilla, an inflected form of liten meaning "little".

Joktan m Biblical
Means "small" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Eber in the Old Testament.

Junayd m Arabic
Means "small army", derived from Arabic جند (jund) meaning "army, soldiers".

Ketut m & f Balinese
Possibly from a Balinese word meaning "small banana". This name is traditionally given to the fourth child.

Koharu f Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" or 心 (ko) meaning "heart" combined with 春 (haru) meaning "spring". The compound word 小春 means "late summer". Other combinations of kanji characters can form this name as well.

Lill f Norwegian, Swedish
Diminutive of Elisabet and other names containing li. It is also associated with Norwegian and Swedish lille, an inflected form of liten meaning "little".

Lillemor f Swedish, Norwegian (Rare)
Means "little mother", from Swedish and Norwegian lille, an inflected form of liten meaning "little", combined with mor meaning "mother". This name was first recorded in Norway and Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century.

Logan m & f English
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning "little hollow" (from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit" combined with a diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.... [more]

Lommán m Old Irish
Means "little bare one", derived from Old Irish lomm "bare" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a nephew of Saint Patrick.

Lonán m Irish, Old Irish
Means "little blackbird", derived from Old Irish lon "blackbird" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early saints.

Lorcán m Irish
Means "little fierce one", derived from Old Irish lorcc "fierce" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.

Lovel m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Lowell.

Lovell m English
From a surname that was a variant of Lowell.

Lowell m English
From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).

Luminița f Romanian
Means "little light", derived from Romanian lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Maimu f Estonian
Means "little" in Estonian. This is the name of a girl in the story Maimu (1889) by the Estonian writer August Kitzberg.

Mainchín m Irish
Means "little monk", derived from Old Irish manach "monk" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by two early saints.

Mamuka m Georgian
Means "little father" in Georgian.

Manjusha f Indian, Marathi, Hindi
Means "small box, small chest" in Sanskrit.

Matauc m Old Welsh
Old Welsh form of Madoc.

Meallán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Mellán, derived from mell meaning either "pleasant, delightful" or "lump, ball" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a few early saints.

Merike f Estonian
From Estonian meri "sea" with a diminutive suffix.

Mokee'e f Indigenous American, Cheyenne
Means "little woman" in Cheyenne.

Muadhnait f Irish (Rare)
Means "little noble one", derived from the Old Irish poetic word muad meaning "noble, good" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 6th-century saint, a sister of Saint Mo Laisse.

Naomhán m Irish
Means "little saint", derived from Irish naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Nina 1 f Russian, Italian, English, German, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Dutch, Polish, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
Short form of names that end in nina, such as Antonina or Giannina. It was imported to Western Europe from Russia and Italy in the 19th century. This name also nearly coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning "little girl". A famous bearer was the American musician Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Nizar m Arabic
Perhaps from Arabic نزير (nazir) meaning "little".

Nkosana m Southern African, Xhosa
Means "prince" in Xhosa.

Nkosazana f Southern African, Xhosa
Means "princess" in Xhosa.

Odharnait f Irish (Rare)
Derived from odar "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an early Irish saint.

Odhrán m Irish
From Old Irish Odrán, derived from odar "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a saint who travelled with Saint Columba through Scotland.

Oisín m Irish, Irish Mythology
Means "little deer", derived from Old Irish oss "deer, stag" combined with a diminutive suffix. In Irish legend Oisín was a warrior hero and a poet, the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the narrator in many of his tales.

Orson m English
From a Norman nickname derived from a diminutive of Norman French ors "bear", ultimately from Latin ursus. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a famous bearer of this name.

Paget f & m English (Rare)
From a French and English surname that meant "little page" (see Paige).

Paul m English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Romanian, Biblical
From the Roman family name Paulus, which meant "small" or "humble" in Latin. Paul was an important leader of the early Christian church. According to Acts in the New Testament, he was a Jewish Roman citizen who converted to Christianity after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him. After this he travelled the eastern Mediterranean as a missionary. His original Hebrew name was Saul. Many of the epistles in the New Testament were authored by him.... [more]

Piloqutinnguaq f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "little leaf" in Greenlandic, from piloqut "leaf" and the diminutive suffix -nnguaq.

Pipaluk f Indigenous American, Greenlandic
Means "sweet little thing who belongs to me" in Greenlandic.

Pocahontas f Indigenous American, Powhatan (Anglicized)
Means "little playful one" in Powhatan, an Algonquian language. This was the nickname of a 17th-century Powhatan woman, a daughter of the powerful chief Wahunsenacawh. She married the white colonist John Rolfe and travelled with him to England, but died of illness before returning.

Regulus m Ancient Roman, Astronomy
Roman cognomen meaning "prince, little king", a diminutive of Latin rex "king". This was the cognomen of several 3rd-century BC consuls from the gens Atilia. It was also the name of several early saints. A star in the constellation Leo bears this name as well.

Riagán m Irish (Rare)
From Old Irish Riacán, probably derived from rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.

Rígán m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Ríoghán.

Rígbarddán m Old Irish
Means "little poet of the king", from Old Irish rí "king" (genitive ríg) combined with bard "poet" and a diminutive suffix.

Rochelle f English
From the name of the French city La Rochelle, meaning "little rock". It first became commonly used as a given name in America in the 1930s, probably due to the fame of actress Rochelle Hudson (1914-1972) and because of the similarity to the name Rachel.

Róisín f Irish
Diminutive of Róis or the Irish word rós meaning "rose" (of Latin origin). It appears in the 17th-century song Róisín Dubh.

Rónán m Irish, Old Irish
Means "little seal", derived from Old Irish rón "seal" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several early Irish saints, including a pilgrim to Brittany who founded the hermitage at Locronan in the 6th century.

Ruadhán m Irish
From Old Irish Rúadán, derived from rúad "red" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the founder of the monastery of Lorrha in the 6th century.

Rumpelstiltskin m Literature
From German Rumpelstilzchen, possibly from German rumpeln meaning "make noise" and Stelze meaning "stilt", combined with the diminutive suffix -chen. It has been suggested that it was inspired by a children's game Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart mentioned in Johann Fischart's 1577 book Geschichtklitterung. This name was used by the Brothers Grimm in an 1812 fairy tale about a magical little man (Rumpelstiltskin) who saves a miller's daughter in exchange for her firstborn child. In order to undo the deal, she must guess the man's name. The Grimm's story was based upon earlier European folk tales (which have various names for the little man).

Russel m English
Variant of Russell.

Russell m English
From an English surname, of Norman origin, meaning "little red one" (a diminutive of Old French rous "red"). A notable bearer of the surname was the agnostic British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), who wrote on many subjects including logic, epistemology and mathematics. He was also a political activist for causes such as pacifism and women's rights.... [more]

Ryan m English
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Riain. This patronymic derives from the given name Rian, which is of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally said to mean "little king", from Irish rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.... [more]

Sayuri f Japanese
From Japanese 小 (sa) meaning "small" and 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.

Senán m Irish, Old Irish
Means "little old one", derived from Old Irish sen "old" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Senán was a 6th-century monk who founded the monastery on Inis Cathaigh.

Sirpa f Finnish
Derived from Finnish sirpale meaning "small piece, fragment".

Talita f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Portuguese form of Talitha, popular in Brazil.

Talitha f Biblical
Means "little girl" in Aramaic. The name is taken from the phrase talitha cumi meaning "little girl arise" spoken by Jesus in order to restore a young girl to life (see Mark 5:41).

Tegan f Welsh, English (Modern)
Means "darling" in Welsh, derived from a diminutive of Welsh teg "beautiful, pretty". It was somewhat common in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada in the 1980s and 90s. It was borne by an Australian character on the television series Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.

Thalita f Portuguese (Brazilian)
Variant of Talita.

Tigernán m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Tighearnán.

Tighearnán m Medieval Irish
From Old Irish Tigernán meaning "little lord", from tigerna "lord" combined with a diminutive suffix. It was borne by a 6th-century saint who founded a monastery at Errew. It was also the name of a 12th-century king of Breifne.

Tufayl m Arabic
Means "small child" in Arabic.

Tuulikki f Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Means "little wind" in Finnish, derived from tuuli "wind". This was the name of a Finnish forest goddess, the daughter of Tapio.

Ursula f English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.

Vaughan m Welsh, English
From a Welsh surname that was derived from bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little".

Vaughn m English
From a Welsh surname, a variant of Vaughan.

Veikko m Finnish
From a colloquial form of the Finnish word veli meaning "brother".

Veiko m Estonian
Estonian form of Veikko.

Vello m Estonian
From a diminutive form of the Estonian word veli meaning "brother".

Velvel m Yiddish (Rare)
Means "little wolf" in Yiddish, a diminutive of װאָלףֿ (volf) meaning "wolf". This is a vernacular form of Zeev.

Veslemøy f Norwegian
Means "little girl" from Norwegian vesle "little" and møy "girl". This name was created by Norwegian writer Arne Garborg for the main character in his poem Haugtussa (1895).

Wawatam m Indigenous American, Ojibwe
Possibly means "little goose" in Ojibwe. This was the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa people.

Wei m & f Chinese
From Chinese 威 (wēi) meaning "power, pomp", 巍 (wēi) meaning "high, lofty, towering" or 伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary". As a feminine name it can come from 微 (wēi) meaning "small" or 薇 (wēi) meaning "fern". This name can be formed by other Chinese characters besides those shown here.

Wulfila m Gothic (Hypothetical)
Means "little wolf", from a diminutive of the Gothic element wulfs. This was the name of a 4th-century Gothic bishop and missionary. He translated the New Testament into Gothic.

Zita 1 f Italian, Portuguese, German, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, Latvian
Means "little girl" in Tuscan Italian. This was the name of a 13th-century saint, the patron saint of servants.