Names That Mean Little

While Girlie might feel a bit juvenile and impersonal in the US, it is more notably used as a given name in the Philippines where it would be pronounced GEER-lee rather than like girly. Notable bearers have included politician and journalist Girlie Balaba and hockey player Girlie Hodges. 


Girlie

A variation of the Arabic name Marjanah, which comes from the word marjaan, meaning "little pearl" or "coral,", though it might also be the Arabic form of Morgana. The name features in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (from The One Thousand and One Nights) on a clever, quick-witted enslaved girl who is eventually freed from servitude.

Morgiana

A romantic Latinate form of Ondine, Ondina is an undiscovered gem that shares similar sounds with the trendy Olivia and Ophelia.

Ondina

A little like Elliot (or Elliette), Electra, and Etta, Ellette is a zippy but rarely used compound name. 

Ellette

Burnell had some life as a first name in the early decades of the 20th century. Today, a handful of baby boys are still given the name, perhaps in honor of one of its famous bearers.

Burnell

Plural names are a rising trend, with Brooks, Collins, Rivers, and Townes among the collection. In 2024, popular Irish boy name Aidan was elaborated to make it feel more like surname-style choice and perhaps a little more unique too. Aidens and soundalike Aydens were given to eleven boys collectively in 2024, when they made the US stats for the first time. 

Aidens

Similar in style to Beckett, Everett, Beckett, and Barrett, Lovett is a surname that likely started out as a nickname. Ultimately drawn from the French lou, this diminutive comes from the English Lovell and Lowell, giving it the meaning of "little wolf" or perhaps "wolf cub".
 
Associated with musicians Lyle Lovett and Ben Lovett, and the character of Mrs. Lovett in the story of Sweeney Todd, it was used in small numbers in the first half of the 20th-century.

Lovett

Undina

Damita

Simple and succinct, Lek ia unisex Thai name, often used as a nickname due to its meaning "little". A notable bearer is The White Lotus actress, Lek Patravadi.

With the possible grounding nickname of Etta, this rare and poetic sounding name can be viewed as both a feminine form of Poe, a surname meaning "peacock", or as a more name-y, elaborate version of the word name Poet. 



Poetta

A variation of Birutė, this form is more popular in Latvia where it ranked the charts in the first half of the 20th-century. It likely comes from the Lithuanian word for "scattering, outpouring".

Biruta

A Slovene diminutive of Ursula. Unlike in the Anglosphere, where many still see Ursula as a heavy name, Urška is popular in Slovenia and has even ranked in the Top 20.

Urška

A sweet compound name blending Else with the element lilla, Elselill is a rare choice that could make an interesting honor for an Elisabeth. Similar in feel to Lilibet, it is sometimes used as a given name, though it could also be a pet form too.

Elselill

Seanán is modern though less popular variation of Senán, an Irish name, notably borne by a 6th century monk and saint. Meaning "little old one", it has an air of wisdom and ruggedness about it. Seanán may also be considered a diminutive of Sean, the Irish variant of John.





Seanán

Used by composer Xavier Leroux in his 1903 opera, La reine Fiammette, this fiery name is the French form of Fiammetta, itself an artistic variant of the Italian Fiamma.

Fiammette

An interesting alternative to Ava, Avery, and Everett, Avett is a musical choice, notably associated with the American folk-rock band, The Avett Brothers. The exact etymology of the name is unknown, but theories include that it comes from the French avette meaning "bee" or that it's an English diminutive of Avery or Avraham, giving it the meanings "little elf ruler" or "father of multitudes". 
Additionally, it may link to other names such as Avis, meaning "bird", Everett meaning "brave, wild boar", Averell meaning "april" or Armenian Avetis meaning "good news". 
The name has been appearing in the US stats since 2009 for boys, while it debuted for girls in 2014. Currently, it leans masculine, but is used in small enough numbers that it could go either way.

Avett

Marlonn is a variant spelling of Marlon, which gained prominence through actor Marlon Brando in the mid-20th century. While Marlon peaked in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, this Marlonn variation remains quite rare. 

Marlonn

An old diminutive of Benjamin and Benedek (the Hungarian form of Benedict), Benke can mean "little Ben" making it a charming and unexpected way to honor a Ben

Benke

This Hungarian name was created by the author András Dugonics for the central character of his 1788 novel of the same name. It is likely an elaboration on Etele, a Hungarian feminine form of Atilla. Etelka could work well across languages and boasts the cute nickname Etta.