Names That Mean Short

Cortland, is an English form of the Dutch habitational surname Cortlandt. Cortlandt was a village near modern-day Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands. Its name was derived from the Dutch elements cort, meaning "short" or "narrow," and landt, "land."

A Dutch surname which is given as a full name to a handful of boys in the US each year, possibly as a spelling variant of Kurt.

Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.

Trini is a nickname-name that's gender neutral. It was made famous by singer Trini Lopez whose big hit was "If I Had A Hammer".

Cay is a rare respelling of the retro nickname Kay, but one that may gain ground as a name that's both simple and unique. Like Kay, it can be a diminutive for any of the hundreds of Catherine variations that start with a C or of more modern names such as Caylee or Cadence. Or it can stand on its own as a sleek contemporary nickname-name.

A place and surname turned first name, as in aviator Cortlandt F. Bishop and four-star general Cortlandt V. R. Schuyler. Cortlandt was a village near modern-day Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands. Its name was derived from the Dutch elements cort, meaning "short" or "narrow," and landt, "land."

Kamma is an appealing Danish name signifying a combination of Katherine or Karen and Maria or Margaret. It may also be a short form of Kamilla, the usual Scandinavian spelling of Camilla.

Pleun is a unisex Dutch name deriving from Apollonius or Apollonia, although now it ranks far higher for girls in its native land than the original form. In 2024, it ranked in the Top 140 in The Netherlands. The name is said somewhere between "plone" (rhyming with phone) and "ploon" (rhyming with moon), but it may be worth listening to it if you're unfamiliar.

Walter is an old school boys' name that is gently on the rise again. Short forms include Walt (as in Disney) and Wally, but Wat was once commonly used in England as a diminutive of Walter.

Actress Kirstie Alley popularized this short form that's been off the popularity register for a decade.

Trini is best known as the name of the (male) singer Trini Lopez, who sang "If I had a Hammer", but Trini is a gender neutral name that works equally well for girls or boys.

Oline is an old school feminization of the classic Scandinavian Ole or Olaf that is still popular enough to rank among the Top 100 girl names in Norway.