Names That Mean Small

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, Willow, and Marlowe.

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, intent" in Swedish, and is very popular as a girls' name in Scandinavia, ranking in the Top 100 in both Finland and Norway.

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.

Pol, pronounced as "pole," though a popular Breton name, would be an unusual form of a simple classic elsewhere. The Breton Saint Pol Aurelian was known as a slayer of dragons and a founder of monasteries.

As a feminine name, Konan has Japanese origins. It is the name of a villainous character in the Naruto franchise.

This offbeat word name refers to a small brood of birds. Cove has been an up-and-coming unisex nature name in recent years, and a few parents are recognizing Covey as an alternative. Be warned though that many will associate that first syllable with Covid.

Nore comes from Nori, the Old Norse mythological name of the founder of Norway. As a feminine name, Nore is a variation of Nora popular in the Netherlands.

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 the US charts in 2022.

Most ella names are hot, but this is one that won't catch fire because of the disagreeable connotations of prunes.

Brooke variation – or is the other way around? – that makes it more a nature name, less an eighties-style androgynous name.

Isle is a super rare nature name that sounds like an appealing unisex form of Isla.

Short but not particularly sweet surname.

A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".

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.

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.

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.

The feminine version of the common Welsh name Glyn became somewhat known in this country via the charming Welsh actress Glynis Johns. Variations include Glenys and Glynys. With other Welsh names--Gwyneth, Bronwyn, Bryn, Griffith--now on the American table, Glynis could make a distinctive tribute to an Uncle Glenn.

A male character in The Chronicles of Narnia, but could conceivably be used for a girl.