Kai 1mFrisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
KatefEnglish, Croatian Short form of Katherine, often used independently. It is short for Katherina in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).
KizzyfEnglish Diminutive of Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries Roots (1977).
LancelotmArthurian Romance Possibly an Old French diminutive of Lanzo (see Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in Erec and Enide and then as a main character in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
LilifGerman, French, Hungarian German, French and Hungarian diminutive of Elisabeth and other names containing li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word lilie meaning "lily".
LillfNorwegian, 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".
LillianfEnglish Probably originally a diminutive of Elizabeth. It may also be considered an elaborated form of Lily, from the Latin word for "lily" lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
Lindym & fEnglish Originally this was a masculine name, coming into use in America in 1927 when the dance called the Lindy Hop became popular. The dance was probably named for aviator Charles Lindbergh. Later this name was used as a diminutive of Linda.
LionelmFrench, English, Arthurian Romance French diminutive of Léon. It appears in Arthurian legend in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle, belonging to a knight who was the brother of Sir Bors. A notable modern bearer is the Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi (1987-).
LjubomCroatian, Serbian, Slovene Diminutive of Ljubomir and other names beginning with the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love". It is often used independently.
LolafSpanish, English, French Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
LolitafSpanish Diminutive of Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
LonniemEnglish Short form of Alonzo and other names containing the same sound.
LonnymEnglish Short form of Alonzo and other names containing the same sound.
LorifEnglish Diminutive of Laura, Lorraine and other names beginning with Lor. This name rapidly rose in popularity in the United States in the 1950s and 60s, peaking in the 8th spot for girls in 1963.
Lucerof & mSpanish (Mexican), Spanish (Latin American) Means "light source, bright star, morning star" in Spanish, a derivative of luz "light". Occasionally it is used as a diminutive of the name Luz. It is most common in Mexico and Colombia.
LucettafItalian Diminutive of Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Luckym & fEnglish, Hindi From a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).
LynettefEnglish, Arthurian Romance Form of Lynet used by Alfred Tennyson in his 1872 poem Gareth and Lynette. According to Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette were eventually married. In modern times it is also regarded as a diminutive of Lynn.
MadickenfLiterature, Swedish (Rare) Used by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the heroine of her series of books of the same name, first published in 1960. She is called Maggie, Meg or Mardie in English translations. In the books the name is a diminutive of Margareta, though the inspiration for the character was Lindgren's childhood friend Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.
MaijafFinnish, Latvian Finnish and Latvian variant of Maria or Marija. The Latvian playwright Anna Brigadere used this name for the main character in her play Maija un Paija (1922).
MaisiefScottish, English Scottish diminutive of Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.