ALDOUS m English (Rare)Probably a diminutive of names beginning with the Old English element
eald "old". It has been in use as an English given name since the Middle Ages, mainly in East Anglia. The British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was a famous bearer of this name.
ALEX m & f English, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Czech, RussianShort form of
ALEXANDER,
ALEXANDRA, and other names beginning with
Alex.
ALISON f English, FrenchNorman French diminutive of
Aalis (see
ALICE). It was common in England, Scotland and France in the Middle Ages, and was later revived in England in the 20th century via Scotland. Unlike most other English names ending in
son, it is not derived from a surname.
ANDY m & f EnglishDiminutive of
ANDREW or sometimes
ANDREA (2). American pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was a famous bearer of this name.
ANITA (1) f Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovene, English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, LatvianSpanish, Portuguese, Croatian and Slovene diminutive of
ANA.
AODHÁN m Irish, Scottish, Irish MythologyFrom the old Irish name
Áedán, a diminutive of
Áed (see
AODH). This was the name of an Irish monk and saint of the 7th century. It was also borne by several characters in Irish mythology.
AUDREY f EnglishMedieval diminutive of
ÆÐELÞRYÐ. This was the name of a 7th-century saint, a princess of East Anglia who founded a monastery at Ely. It was also borne by a character in Shakespeare's comedy 'As You Like It' (1599). At the end of the Middle Ages the name became rare due to association with the word
tawdry (which was derived from
St. Audrey, the name of a fair where cheap lace was sold), but it was revived in the 19th century. A famous bearer was British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
BASTET f Egyptian MythologyVariant of
BAST. This form of the name, a diminutive, was given to her after the similar goddess Sekhmet (protector of Upper Egypt) became more important.
BELLA f EnglishShort form of
ISABELLA and other names ending in
bella. It is also associated with the Italian word
bella meaning "beautiful".
BENNO m GermanShort form of German names containing the element
bern "bear".
BILLY m EnglishDiminutive of
BILL. A notable bearer was the American outlaw Billy the Kid (1859-1881), whose real name was William H. Bonney.
BOBBY m EnglishDiminutive of
BOB. Hockey greats Bobby Hull (1939-) and Bobby Orr (1948-) have borne this name.
BROGAN m & f IrishDerived from Gaelic
bróg "shoe" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of several Irish saints, including Saint
Patrick's scribe.
BUCK m EnglishFrom an English nickname meaning simply "buck, male deer", ultimately from Old English
bucc.
BUFFY f EnglishDiminutive of
ELIZABETH, from a child's pronunciation of the final syllable. It is now associated with the main character from the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003).
CAT f & m EnglishDiminutive of
CATHERINE. It can also be a nickname from the English word for the animal.
CHANCE m EnglishOriginally a diminutive of
CHAUNCEY. It is now usually given in reference to the English word
chance meaning "luck, fortune" (ultimately derived from Latin
cadens "falling").
CHARLIE m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
CHARLES. A famous bearer is Charlie Brown, the main character in the comic strip 'Peanuts' by Charles Schulz.
CHER f EnglishShort form of
CHERYL. In the case of the American musician Cher (1946-), it is short for her real name
CHERILYN.
CHERRY f EnglishSimply means "cherry" from the name of the fruit. It can also be a diminutive of
CHARITY. It has been in use since the late 19th century.
CHIP m EnglishDiminutive of
CHARLES or
CHRISTOPHER. It can also be from a nickname given in reference to the phrase
a chip off the old block, used of a son who is similar to his father.
CHUCK m EnglishDiminutive of
CHARLES. It originated in America in the early 20th century. Two famous bearers of this name were pilot Chuck Yeager (1923-), the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound, and the musician Chuck Berry (1926-2017), one of the pioneers of rock music.
CIANÁN m IrishDiminutive of
CIAN. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish saint.
CIARÁN m IrishDiminutive of
CIAR. This was the name of two Irish saints: Saint Ciarán the Elder, the patron of the Kingdom of Munster, and Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, the founder of a monastery in the 6th century.
CLAY m EnglishFrom an English surname that originally referred to a person who lived near or worked with clay. This name can also be a short form of
CLAYTON.
CLETUS m EnglishShort form of
ANACLETUS. This name is sometimes used to refer to the third pope, Saint Anacletus. It can also function as an Anglicized form of
KLEITOS.
COLETTE f FrenchShort form of
NICOLETTE. Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. This was also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954).
CORETTA f EnglishDiminutive of
CORA. It was borne by Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), the wife of Martin Luther King.
DAI m WelshDerived from the old Celtic word
dei meaning "to shine". This name is also used as a Welsh diminutive of
DAVID.
DAISY f EnglishSimply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
DEE f & m EnglishShort form of names beginning with
D. It may also be given in reference to the
Dee River in Scotland.
DICK (1) m EnglishMedieval diminutive of
RICHARD. The change in the initial consonant is said to have been caused by the way the trilled Norman
R was pronounced by the English.
DITTE f DanishDanish diminutive of
EDITH,
DOROTHEA or names containing
dit. It was popularized by Martin Andersen Nexø's novel 'Ditte, Child of Man' (1921) and the film adaptation (1946).
DOLLY f EnglishDiminutive of
DOROTHY.
Doll and
Dolly were used from the 16th century, and the common English word
doll (for the plaything) is derived from them. In modern times this name is also sometimes used as a diminutive of
DOLORES.
DORY f EnglishDiminutive of
DOROTHY or
DORIS. This is the name of a fish in the animated film 'Finding Nemo' (2003).
EGIL m Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse name
Egill, a diminutive of names that began with the element
agi "awe, terror". This was the name of a semi-legendary Icelandic warrior.
EIKE m & f GermanShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
ag "edge".
ELEA f EnglishShort form of
ELEANOR. This was also the name of an ancient Italian town (modern Velia) that is well known for being the home of the philosopher Parmenides and his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.
ELLE f English (Modern)Diminutive of
ELEANOR and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
ELMA f Dutch, German, EnglishShort form of
WILHELMINE or names ending in
elma, such as
ANSELMA. It has also been recorded as a combination of
ELIZABETH and
MARY, as in the case of the 19th-century daughter of the Earl of Elgin, who was named using her mother's first and middle names.
ELYSE f EnglishDiminutive of
ELIZABETH. It was popularized in the early 1980s by a character from the television comedy 'Family Ties'.
EMMELINE f EnglishFrom an Old French form of the Germanic name
Amelina, originally a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal meaning "work". The Normans introduced this name to England.
ESTEE f JewishDiminutive of
ESTHER. A famous bearer was the American businesswoman Estée Lauder (1908-2004), founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name. Her birth name was Josephine Esther Mentzer. Apparently she added the accent to her name
Estee in order to make it appear French.
ETTA f EnglishShort form of
HENRIETTA and other names that end with
etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.
FEMKE f Dutch, FrisianDiminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
frid "peace". It also coincides with a Frisian word meaning "little girl".