Updated November 2023
Across 5 pages
of 5
Irish
"small brown-haired child"
This Irish saint's name makes an attractive alternative for Dylan or Donald.
Irish or Serbo-Croatian
"small bare one or delicate"
Loman is one of those rare names that is at once simple and very unusual, with fewer than five baby boys given the name in the US in the most recent year. But Loman does carry a few less-than-optimal…
Japanese
"small field"
Perfect for a child of Japanese Irish heritage.
Short form of Pavel
"small"
Panya is a Russian diminutive that sounds a tad feminine to the Western sensibility.
Spanish
"small estate"
Sounds a bit like an Australian airline.
Scottish surname
"small or black stream"
An unusual and appealing Scottish family name that would work as well for a girl as a boy.
Finnish, Swedish, Slavic
"grain, will, fairy"
A name made most famous by the operetta The Merry Widow which features "The Vilja's Song". A vila is a woodland spirit or fairy in Slavic mythology. Vilja also means "grain" in Finnish and "will,…
French
"small ship"
A term for a type of Dutch sailing ship that might be an interesting way to get to Gal, as in Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot.
English
"small fish"
Judeo-Italian
"the small"
Variation of Pavel, Russian
Pavlin ups Pavel's style quotient by giving it a surname feel.
Latin, Greek, variation of Alletta
"small winged one"
"small bird"
"small island"
Isla is a contemporary gem, so why not Isle? As an English word name, it takes you straight to the literal definition — a small island — which could have an appealing, aspirational ring to it, for…
"small dog"
A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".
Polish variation of Paul, Latin
"small stream"
Part River, part Beckett, part Ridge, part Reeves, the unusual Rivulet could have potential.
Catalan surname
"small hills"
A Catalan surname connected to Albert Pujols, the Dominican-American baseball player most notably of the Los Angeles Angels. It might not make a great first name, but Pujols could make a meaningful…
Isle is a super rare nature name that sounds like an appealing unisex form of Isla.
"descendant of the small white one"
This two-syllable Irish surname is as appealing as Nolan, Keegan et al, but much less common.