Names that mean little one
This list groups names by the literal gloss at the start of each meaning, not the cultural notes that follow. Closely related meanings are gathered under little one. Tap any name for its story, or grow a tree and see which of them belong in your family.
Vaughn Welsh ยท small, little one
Lek Thai ยท small, little; a classic of the Thai nickname system, in which every child gets a short call-name (chue len) used everywhere but paperwork, alongside a long formal name. Lek belongs to the grandparent generation of call-names, from before English-word picks took over.
Noy Lao ยท little one; the archetypal Lao call-name. Like Thai, Lao pairs a formal multi-syllable name with a short everyday nickname, and Noy is so widely used that many Lao American women go by it in every setting, whatever the birth certificate says
Yuvan Sanskrit ยท young, youthful
Paula Latin ยท small, humble
Paulo Portuguese ยท small; a classic Brazilian first name frequently chosen by Nikkei families for its ease in Portuguese
Polina Russian ยท small, humble
Pavel Russian ยท small, humble
Paul Latin ยท small, humble
Unni Malayalam ยท little one in Malayalam; evokes Unnikrishnan, the child Krishna worshipped at Kerala's Guruvayur temple, and works as both a pet name and a standalone given name
Toshiko Japanese ยท quick, clever child
Emiko Japanese ยท blessed, beautiful child
Tomoko Japanese ยท wise child, friend child
Omolara Yoruba ยท child of the family, cherished child
Sachiko Japanese ยท happy child, fortunate child
Keiko Japanese ยท blessed child, respectful child; a common Nisei-generation name across Brazil's Nikkei community
Wren English ยท small bird
Yuko Japanese ยท gentle, excellent child
Chinni Telugu ยท little one, tiny (native Telugu chinna); an affectionate home name that sometimes becomes the everyday name, though rarely the certificate name
Bambi Italian ยท From Italian bambino, child; established as a given name by Felix Salten's 1923 novel and the Disney film it inspired.
Hideko Japanese ยท excellent, outstanding child
Yoshiko Japanese ยท good, righteous child
Kanya Thai ยท young lady, maiden
Mariam Arabic ยท form of Maryam and of the Greek Old Testament's Mariam; the root is debated, perhaps Egyptian mry, 'beloved'
Nhi Vietnamese ยท little girl, little one (a common affectionate name ending)
Michiko Japanese ยท beautiful path, beautiful child
Shizuko Japanese ยท quiet child
Sven Scandinavian ยท young man, youth (Swedish)
Yasuko Japanese ยท peaceful child
Sayuri Japanese ยท small lily
Marcel French ยท form of Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus (probably from the god Mars); a common Haitian given name
Paulette French ยท small, diminutive of Paul
Riko Japanese ยท jasmine child, logical child
Muna Nepali ยท bud, young sprout; the heroine of Muna Madan (1936), Laxmi Prasad Devkota's verse epic and the best-loved work of Nepali literature; two syllables Americans pronounce right on the first try
Young-ja Korean ยท flourishing child; a Japanese-colonial-era generation name (the "-ja" ending borrowed from Japanese "-ko") once extremely common, now mostly kept as a grandmother's middle name
Hiroko Japanese ยท tolerant, generous child, or abundant, prosperous child
Aiko Japanese ยท beloved child; carried by early Nisei-generation Nikkei families in Sao Paulo
Soo-ah Korean ยท elegant child
Teruko Japanese ยท shining child
Ayako Japanese ยท child of color, or of woven design, depending on the kanji
Leimomi Hawaiian ยท pearl lei, child of pearl
Paolo Italian ยท small, humble (Italian form of Paul); a spelling favored by modern Filipino families
Sadako Japanese ยท virtuous child
Momoko Japanese ยท peach child, or hundred child
Mitsuko Japanese ยท child of light
Pol Catalan ยท small, humble (a Catalan form of Paul); a short modern pick that travels well beyond Catalonia
Noriko Japanese ยท child of ceremony, or chronicle child
Yukiko Japanese ยท snow child
Kazuko Japanese ยท harmonious child
Etsuko Japanese ยท child of joy
Pablo Spanish ยท form of Paul, Latin "small, humble"
Colt English ยท young horse
Natsuko Japanese ยท summer child
Hanako Japanese ยท flower child; an old-fashioned name once so common it became shorthand for 'Japanese girl,' still found among Brazil's oldest Nikkei families
Chieko Japanese ยท wisdom child
Fuyuko Japanese ยท winter child
Selvi Tamil ยท young woman; also carries the sense of "prosperous one," traditionally used as an honorific for unmarried women
Maung Maung Burmese ยท literally young brother (แแฑแฌแแบแแฑแฌแแบ); Maung alone is the boys' honorific, but doubled it becomes a true given name, borne by a president of Burma. Doubling is a beloved Burmese pattern, as in Cho Cho, Hla Hla and Win Win
Kiyoko Japanese ยท pure, clear child, or holy child, depending on the kanji
Tarun Telugu ยท young, youthful, fresh (Sanskrit taruna); common in the 1990s-2000s Telugu cohorts
Kyoko Japanese ยท mirror child
Hisako Japanese ยท child of long life, or of long ago, depending on the kanji
Miriam Hebrew ยท wished-for child
Kimiko Japanese ยท valuable, beautiful child, or noble child, depending on the kanji
Khadija Arabic ยท premature child; name of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife
Reiko Japanese ยท child of the tinkling of jade, or child of ceremony
Paweล Polish ยท small, humble (Polish form of Paul)
Pauline Latin ยท feminine form of Paul, 'small, humble'
Omotola Yoruba ยท a child is worth wealth
Nobuko Japanese ยท child of trust
Ifeyinwa Igbo ยท nothing compares to a child
Haruko Japanese ยท spring child
Junko Japanese ยท pure child
Sumiko Japanese ยท clear child
Mieko Japanese ยท child of beauty and favor
Yumiko Japanese ยท child of the archery bow, or beautiful child, by its kanji
Siu-Ming Cantonese ยท little or small; bright or clear (ๅฐๆ)
Lionel French ยท diminutive of Leon/Lion, meaning 'young lion'
Fumiko Japanese ยท child of writing
Brook English ยท English word name for a small stream
Phaolo Vietnamese ยท small, humble (Vietnamese form of Paul)
Ilavarasi Tamil ยท princess, the young queen (ilam, young + arasi, queen); pure Tamil royalty vocabulary
Nwakaego Igbo ยท a child is greater than wealth
Yoko Japanese ยท ocean child
Page English ยท An English occupational surname, from Old French page, young attendant, ultimately Greek paidion, child
Akiko Japanese ยท bright child, crystal child or autumn child, depending on the kanji
Setsuko Japanese ยท child of verse and melody
Makiko Japanese ยท a -ko 'child' name; the element before varies with the kanji chosen (one reading: ma 'true' + ki 'hope')
Mineko Japanese ยท a classic -ko "child" name; the Mine element varies with the kanji chosen, often "peak" (ๅณฐๅญ)
Brooke English ยท "small stream," a surname for someone who lived by one; it became a sleek single-syllable girls' name in the 1980s, all clear water and clean lines. Brooklyn borrowed its front half; Brooke needs nothing added
Which of these fits YOUR family? โ