Browse Names - Behind the Name

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Anthoula f Greek
Diminutive of names containing the Greek element ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower, blossom", such as Chrysanthi and Evanthia.

Aoibhín f Irish
Diminutive of Aoibhe.

Beathag f Scottish Gaelic
Feminine form of Beathan.

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.

Cinderella f Literature
Means "little ashes", in part from the French name Cendrillon. This is the main character in the folktale 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.

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.

Damnat f Old Irish
Old Irish form of Damhnait.

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

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

Florica f Romanian
Derived from Romanian floricea, itself a diminutive of floare "flower".

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

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

Hurik f Armenian
Means "small fire" in Armenian.

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]

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.

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

Mokee'e f 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.

Naasunnguaq f Greenlandic
Means "little flower" in Greenlandic, from naasoq "flower, plant" and the diminutive suffix -nnguaq.

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" (the word is pronounced differently than the name).... [more]

Nkosazana f 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.

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

Paninnguaq f Greenlandic
Means "little daughter" in Greenlandic, from panik "daughter" and the diminutive suffix -nnguaq.

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

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

Pocahontas f 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.

Primula f English (Rare), Italian (Rare)
From the name of a genus of several species of flowers, including the primrose. It is derived from the Latin word primulus meaning "very first".

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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