Names That Mean Small
Across 5 pages
of 5
Kotori
Japanese
"small bird; songbird"
Iara
Variation of Yara, Arabic, Tupi
"small butterfly; lady of the water"
Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the…
Adva
Hebrew
"small wave; ripple"
A possible addition to the Ava / Ada / Adah collection, with a Jewish twist.
Skylark
English
"small bird"
Skylar may be mainstream now, but Skylark is fresh and offbeat. With Lark gaining more attention as a name — following in Wren's footsteps — Skylark feels fashionable yet distinct. Skylark debuted on…
Madyn
Irish
"small dog"
A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".
Islet
English
"small island"
If Isla feels too mainstream.
Minnow
English
"small fish"
This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters . Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie,…
Chibi
Japanese
"little, small"
Chibi is Japanese slang for someone or something small (and typically cute). It is not used as a given name in the real world, however, a number of anime characters are named Chibi.
Paulla
Latin
"small"
An ancient Roman spelling of Paula, used more often than the male equivalent Paullus. Because of the meaning, this name was commonly given to younger daughters.
Layne
Variation of Lane, English
"a small roadway or path"
Currently gender-neutral in the US, although boys have the edge, as they do with Lane. The Y spelling makes it a bit more feminine.
Chapel
English word name
"small Christian church"
Spiritual word names are a hot trend and ever-expanding category of baby names. Chapel was notably used in 2020 by Josh Brolin for his daughter. He said of her name, "Chapel Grace is, to us, a…
Brogan
Irish
"small shoe"
Despite the bro-ish first syllable, more and more parents are catching on to Brogan as a girl name. Think of it as a modern update of Morgan.
Chapel
English word name
"small Christian church"
This rare spiritual word name could see a boost now that Josh Brolin used it for his daughter, born in December of 2020. Like many of the new additions to this category, Chapel is appropriate for a…
Asella
Latin
"small female donkey"
Asella is ultimately derived from the Latin word asinus , meaning "donkey." As a word, asella would have been used to refer to a small female donkey. Though both Latin in origin, with similar…
Vaughn
Welsh
"small"
This tailored Welsh surname is an attractive option for girls, fitting in with other single-syllable prepster girl names such as Sloane and Quinn. Vaughn can also be spelled Vaughan, as in the…
Canary
English
"small bird"
The name of a small yellow bird that hasn't taken off in the way that some of its avian sisters – like Robin, Wren or Lark – have. Two of the most well known bearers of this first name are Canary…
Cove
English
"small bay"
Cove is an up-and-coming nature name whose cool sound and peaceful image saw it rising for both sexes until COVID-19 hit. It decreased slightly for boys in 2020 and remained steading in 2021, but it…
Beck
Short form of Rebecca or English
"one living beside a small stream"
Although the single-named singer is male, this might be a girl's nickname name or a sleek nature name that's perfect in the middle.
Vinyet
Catalan
"small vine"
A nature name used in Catalonia, derived from the word for a vine or vineyard. It sounds like (and has the same origin as) Vignette, which has several English meanings in art, literature, and tax.
Glyn
Short form of Glynis, Welsh
"small glen, valley"
Glyn is a pretty, glimmery name that is heard much less often than Welsh sisters Gwen and Bryn. It is also used for boys and might make a good honor name for an ancestral Glenn.