Names That Mean Little
Across 13 pages
of 13
Cantara
Arabic
"little bridge"
An interesting and unusual choice, with a choral feel.
Bercan
Gaelic
"little spear"
Somewhat reminiscent of the better known Beccan, this is an Irish saints' name – there were no fewer than five St. Bercans, as well as a noted manuscript artist called Bercanus. In Ireland, it is…
Amarissa
Combination name, Ama + issa
"little lover"
Amarissa is kind of cobbled together from two traditional elements: Ama, which means "love" or "lover" and is found in such more established names as Amabel and Amariah, and -issa, which is a common…
Orsa
Italian variation of Ursula
"little female bear"
The advantage of Orsa over the arguably-more-attractive Ursula is that it breaks the tie to the hideous she-witch of The Little Mermaid. Orsa definitely feels more ready for modern life now that…
Orna
Irish
"little pale green one"
This Irish saint's name sounds like a lopped-off Lorna.
Cinderella
French
"little ash-girl"
One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Undine
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.
Edan
Irish and Hebrew
"little fire; era"
This cross-cultural name is a spelling variant of two different popular names: the Irish Aidan and the Hebrew Idan. While Idan is a Top 100 choice in Israel, Aidan - and Aiden - in a number of…
Dumas
French
"of the little farm"
The name of the great French novelist, author of the timeless The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers , would make a surprising middle name choice.
Ondine
Latin
"little wave"
Mythological spirit of the waters; spelled Undine, she was an Edith Wharton heroine.
Chiqueta
Variation of Chiquita, Spanish
"little one"
This is an obscure spelling of the banana brand name.
Bichette
French
"little doe"
Charming Gallic possibility but with some obvious playground problems.
Darren
Irish
"little great one"
Darren and wife Sharon shop for fifties memorabilia on eBay. The Connecticut place-name Darien might offer an update.
Eónan
Irish
"little Adam"
Same problem as Eóin -- squared.
Feeny
Irish
"little raven"
Feeny and its alternative spelling Feeney have several origins in Irish. They are anglicised forms of the surnames Ó Fiannaidhe (descendant of Fiannaidhe, meaning warrior), and Ó Fidhne (descendant…
Fiorello
Italian
"little flower"
Fiorello is one of the few floral names that works well for a boy. The colorful three-term World War II New York Mayor La Guardia made this one famous -- in fact he was nicknamed "the Little Flower".…
Garvan
Irish
"rough little one"
Irish surname derived from the name Gairbhín, a diminutive of garbh , "rough". It's barely been used as a first name, but could be a similar-yet-different alternative to names like Nolan and Sullivan.
Hagan
Irish
"little fire; young"
For fans of Hayden, Aiden, and Logan who are on the hunt for something familiar but unique, Hagan may be a possibility. It comes from the Irish surname Higgins, which itself derives from either Ó…
Hackett
German occupational name
"little hewer"
Hack is, unfortunately, both an unappealing word and sound.
Ninetta
Italian and Spanish diminutive of Nina
"little girl"
Might be carrying things too far -- little little girl? -- though could freshen up this favorite.