Names Categorized "littleness"

This is a list of names in which the categories include littleness.
gender
usage
Aidan m Irish, English (Modern)
Anglicized form of Aodhán. In the latter part of the 20th century it became popular in America due to its sound, since it shares a sound with such names as Braden and Hayden. It peaked ranked 39th for boys in 2003.
Ameẓyan m Berber
Means "small" in Tamazight.
Anima 1 f Hindi
Means "minuteness" from Sanskrit अणिमन (aṇiman). In yoga texts, this is the name of the ability to make oneself infinitely small so to be invisible.
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.
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".
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.
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.
Conán m Irish, Old Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Conan.
Conan m Irish
Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Irish "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.
Cowessess m 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.
Cúán m Old Irish
Means "little wolf" or "little hound" from Old Irish meaning "wolf, hound" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 8th-century saint.
Devika f Hindi
Means "little goddess" from Sanskrit देवी (devī) meaning "goddess" and (ka) meaning "little".
Fáelán m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Faolán.
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.
Femke f Frisian, Dutch
Diminutive of Femme.
Fillin m Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Faolán.
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.
Ingalill f Swedish
Combination of Inga and Swedish lilla, an inflected form of liten meaning "little".
Inunnguaq m Greenlandic
Means "little person" in Greenlandic, from inuk "person, human" and the diminutive suffix -nnguaq.
Joktan m Biblical
Means "small" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Eber in the Old Testament.
Kapka f Bulgarian
Means "droplet" in Bulgarian.
Koharu f Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" or (ko) meaning "heart" combined with (haru) meaning "spring". The compound word 小春 means "late summer". Other combinations of kanji characters can form this name as well.
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]
Lomán m Irish
Variant of Lommán.
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.
Lorccán m Old Irish
Old Irish form of Lorcán.
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.
Manjusha f Marathi, Hindi
From Sanskrit मञ्जूषा (mañjūṣā) meaning "small box, small chest".
Mona 1 f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Muadhnait. It is also associated with Greek monos "one" and Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa (in which case it is a contraction of Italian ma donna meaning "my lady").
Monat f Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Muadhnait.
Monna f English
Variant of Mona 1.
Moyna f Irish
Variant of Mona 1.
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.
Muadnat f Old Irish
Old Irish form of Muadhnait.
Naomhán m Irish
Means "little saint", derived from Irish naomh "saint" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Nevan m Irish
Anglicized form of Naomhán.
Nizar m Arabic, Indonesian
Perhaps from Arabic نزير (nazīr) meaning "little". Nizar ibn Ma'ad was an early ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad.
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.
Orna 1 f Irish
Anglicized form of Odharnait.
Ornat f Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Odharnait.
Osheen m Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Oisín.
Ossian m Literature
Variant of Oisín used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century poems, which he claimed to have based on early Irish legends. In the poems Ossian is the son of Fingal, and serves as the narrator.
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]
Paula f German, English, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Croatian, Ancient Roman
Feminine form of Paulus (see Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint Jerome.
Paule f French
French feminine form of Paulus (see Paul).
Pauline f French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
French feminine form of Paulinus (see Paulino).
Phelan m Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Faolán.
Pika 2 f Slovene
Means "dot" in Slovene. This is the Slovene name for Pippi Longstocking, Pika Nogavička.
Piloqutinnguaq f Greenlandic
Means "little leaf" in Greenlandic, from piloqut "leaf" and the diminutive suffix -nnguaq.
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.
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.
Rian m Irish, Old Irish, English
Irish form of Ryan, as well as an English variant.
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.
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.
Ronan m Breton, Irish, French, English (Modern)
Breton and Anglicized form of Rónán.
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 "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.... [more]
Sayuri f Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "small" and 百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.
Seanán m Irish
Modern Irish form of Senán.
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.
Senan m Irish
Anglicized form of Senán.
Sullivan m English, French
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Súileabháin, itself from the given name Súileabhán, which was derived from Irish súil "eye" and dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name has achieved a moderate level of popularity in France since the 1970s. In the United States it was rare before the 1990s, after which it began climbing steadily. A famous fictional bearer of the surname was James P. Sullivan from the animated movie Monsters, Inc. (2001).
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).
Thumbelina f Literature
English translation of Danish Tommelise, a name created from Danish tommel "thumb" by Hans Christian Andersen for the title character of his 1835 fairy tale. In the story she is a miniature girl who grows out of a grain of barley.
Tufayl m Arabic
Means "small child" in Arabic.
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.
Vaughn m English
From a Welsh surname, a variant of Vaughan.
Velvel m Yiddish (Rare)
Means "little wolf" in Yiddish, a diminutive of װאָלףֿ (volf) meaning "wolf". This is a vernacular form of Zeev.
Velvela f Yiddish (Rare)
Feminine form of Velvel.
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 Ojibwe
Possibly means "little goose" in Ojibwe. This was the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa people.
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.