100 Best Names That Mean Small For Your Baby

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Feb 16, 2024 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Oct 28, 2020
Edited by Harriet Sambrook
Happy family funny kids are preparing the dough



Naming your child is no small thing - it can seem like a gargantuan task.

The word 'small' has many positive connotations. It is therefore not surprising that many parents choose names for their children that mean "small".

Calling your child a name that means small could be interpreted as showing how small steps are required to make big things happen. Giving your child a name that means 'small'  does not mean they are small in stature - but instead that your child is adorable and has much potential for the future.

In many languages, small is represented with soft sounding syllables, such as mignon meaning "little one" in French.

For more name inspiration take a look at these names that mean chaos or trouble and these names that mean patience.

Popular Girls' Names Meaning Small

Parents often give their daughters names that are dearly loved by all.  Below are some of the most popular girls' names meaning small.

1. Ahana (Irish origin) meaning "from the little ford".

2. Aleida (Latin origin) meaning "small and winged". Che Guevara named his daughter, Aleida.

3. Alona (Hebrew origin) meaning "little rock".  In the "Bible", Allon is the name of the son of Jedaiah.

4. Charlotte (French origin) meaning "petite".  

5. Germaine (French origin) meaning "small sprout".

6. Jemima (Hebrew origin) meaning "little dove".

7. Kiara (Celtic origin) meaning "small". Many celebrities from the entertainment industry have this name.

8. Loma (Native American origin) meaning "born on the small hill". Many parents often give their little girls this name.

9. Melina (Greek origin) meaning "little honey".  A popular name for baby girl in America.

10. Prunella (Latin origin) meaning "small plum".  Named after Prunella Scales who played 'Dotty Turnbull' in an advertisement for Tesco.

11. Rochelle (French origin) meaning "a small rock".

12. Rosetta (Italian origin) meaning "small rose".  A famous gospel singer has this name.

13. Tira (Hebrew origin) meaning "small village".

Unique Boys' Names Meaning Small

Parents often want to give their children a name that is rare or special - for example, a name meaning small. Such unique boys' names can be found below.

14. Aanik (French origin) meaning  "smallest source of existence". This is a great name for your small child.

15. Adnah (Biblical origin) meaning  "a small or pleasurable".  Adnah was a marcasite who joined David at Ziklag as described in the 'Bible'.

16. Ahuatzi (Aztec origin) meaning "small oak".

17. Atheron (English origin) meaning "small Athelhere's town".

18. Attila (Hungarian and Turkish origin) meaning "little father".

19. Bogart (Gaelic origin) meaning "small bowl".  A famous American actor has this name as his surname, Humphrey Bogart.

20. Bolan (Irish origin) meaning "little poet". Marc Bolan was a famous singer and poet of English origin.

21. Booth (English origin) meaning "small place".

22. Brigham (English origin) meaning "little village near the bridge". The second president of the Mormon church was named Brigham Young.

23. Cathan (Irish origin) meaning "little battler". It was the name of a sixth-century monk from Ireland.

24. Dalzeil (Scottish origin) meaning  "small field".

25. Dumas (French origin) meaning "of the little farm".

26. Egan (Irish origin) meaning "little fire".  A famous American sportsman is named Charles Egan.

27. Eonan (Irish origin) meaning "little Adam".

28. Feeny (Irish origin) meaning "small raven".

29. Garvan (Irish origin) meaning "rough little one".  It is no small thing to be named after this famous Irish footballer, who is a role model for people.

30. Hagan (Irish origin) meaning "a fire small in size". This is a small but mighty name for your child.

31. Mannix (Irish origin) meaning "a small monk".

32. Marceau (French origin) meaning  "little warrior". The name became famous because of the actor, Marcel Marceau.

33. Newt (English origin) meaning  "small salamander".

34. Oisin (Irish origin) meaning "small deer".

35. Paolo (Irish origin) meaning "small". Scottish singer Paolo Nutini inspired many new parents to name their children after him.

36. Parkin (English origin) meaning "little Peter".  The name is to honor any of the ancestor named Peter.

37. Perran (Irish origin) meaning "little one".

38. Quintas (Spanish origin) meaning "small estate".  

Unisex Names Meaning Small

Listed below are some fantastic gender-neutral names that mean small.

39. Aden (Irish origin) meaning "small but fierce". The name has wonderful connotations of bravery for your baby.

40. Afton (Scottish origin) meaning  "a small river in Scotland".

41. Aiden (Irish origin) meaning "little and fiery". It is the name of the Old Celtic Sun God.

42. Beck (English origin) meaning "one that lives beside a small stream".

43. Becket (English origin) meaning "little brook".

44. Brogan (Irish origin) meaning "small shoe". Alan Brogan is a notable Irish footballer.

45. Brooke (Old English origin) meaning "small stream". Brooke Alexander was an American beauty queen and an actress.

46. Carlin (Irish origin) meaning "little champion".

47. Chotto/Chotku/Chotki (Indian origin) meaning "small". These Indian names mean adorable as a small child.  

48. Darren (Irish origin) meaning "little great ones". Darren Robinson gained popularity in playing the guitar and as a playback singer in America.

49. Del (English origin) meaning "small valley". It is the nickname given to name Delbert.

50. Edan (Irish Welsh origin) meaning "little fire". A small, fiery name for your child.

51. Glyn  (Gaelic origin) meaning "small valley". Notable namesakes are Alon Glyn, William Glyn, and Sir Richard Glyn.

52. Kieran (Irish origin) meaning "little one". This is another word for tiny.

53. Lane (Old English origin) meaning "a small path".

54. Lennon (Irish origin) meaning "a small lover".

55. Lille (Danish origin) meaning "little".

56. Malin (English origin) meaning "little warrior".

57. Panya (Russian origin) meaning "small".

58. Reagen (Irish origin) meaning "a small king".

59. Renny (Irish origin) meaning "a small prosperous one".

60. Sweeney (Gaelic origin) meaning "the little hero". Famous namesakes are William Sweeney, Antony Sweeney and Bill Sweeney.

61. Teagan (Irish origin) meaning "a small poet".

62. Tiernan (Irish origin) meaning "a small lord".

63. Vaughn (Welsh origin) meaning "small".

Unique Girls' Names That Mean Small

Below we have listed our favorite unique names meaning small for your little princess.

64. Aithne (Celtic origin) meaning "little fire".  A small girl with red hair is generally adorned with this fiery name associated with Mount Etna volcano.

65. Arizona (Native American origin) meaning "little spring". Arizona is a territory in the US, also many celebrities with this name are there.

66. Bambalina (Italian origin) meaning "little girl".

67. Bechette (French origin) meaning "little spade".

68. Brunella (Old French origin) meaning "little one with brown hair".

69. Carina (Italian origin) meaning "dear little".

70. Charlene (French origin) meaning  "small beauty".

71. Corette (French origin) meaning "little maiden". Michael Corette wrote many books of music and is a famous French composer.

72. Crofton (Old English origin) meaning "a town having a small field enclosed".

73. Darra (Gaelic origin) meaning "small one with riches".

74. Elita (Old French origin) meaning "small and winged".

75. Ellette (Anglo-Saxon origin) meaning "little elf".

76. Fleurette (French origin) meaning "little flower".

77. Gimli (Old Norse origin) meaning "small fire". This can be one of the names for babies meaning small and fiery. A fitting name for your passionate and small child.

78. Gretchen (German origin) meaning "little pearl".

79. Kibibi (Celtic origin) meaning "little lady".

80. Lassie (Middle English origin) meaning  "little girl". It is a fictional character in the novel 'Lassie Come-Home' by Eric Knight.

81. Odelia (Anglo-Saxon origin) meaning "wealthy little one".

82. Paulita (Spanish origin) meaning  "little, small or tiny".

83. Rubetta (Latin origin) meaning "little precious jewel".

84. Shanna (Irish origin) meaning "small and wise".

85. Tulla (Irish origin) meaning  "little hill".

86. Vibeke (Danish origin) meaning "little woman".

87. Yazhi (Navajo origin) meaning "little one".

88. Yves (Celtic origin) meaning  "small archer". Actor Vyes Amyot, Yves Montand, and Yves Verhoeven are the famous namesakes.

89. Zita (Tuscan Italian origin) meaning "little girl". It is one of the names that directly means small or tiny.      

Popular Boys' Names Meaning Small

Although girl names are more frequently associated with meaning small, there are plenty of fantastic, popular names that have this meaning for boys.

90. Aban (Irish origin) meaning "little abbot". It was the name of an Irish saint.

91. Becan (Irish origin) meaning  "little man".

92. Ciaran (Irish origin) meaning "little one". American parents often christen their baby boys with this name after the success of the actor, Ciaran Hinds.

93. Donnan (Irish origin) meaning  "small brown-haired child".  There was an Irish saint of this name.

94. Logan (Scottish origin) meaning "small hollow".  'Logan' is a 2017 American superhero film of the 'X-Men' film series and extremely popular all over the world.

95. Obama (Japanese origin) meaning "little beach".  The name became popular after the 44th President of the USA,  Barack Obama.

96. Odhran (Irish origin) meaning "little pale green one". It was the name of an Irish saint.

97. Paul (Roman origin) meaning "small and humble". One of Jesus' disciples was named Paul.

98. Roan (Scottish origin) meaning  "little redhead".

99. Ryan (Irish origin) meaning "little king". Over the years, it remained a favorite name for boys. It is the name of a character in the popular U.S. mockumentary TV show, 'The Office'.

100. Santino (Italian origin) meaning "little saint". The name gained popularity from the character Sonny in 'The Godfather'.

Kidadl has lots of great baby names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for names that mean small then why not take a look at these names that mean protector or these names that mean guardian.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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