130+ Baby Names & Pet Names That Mean Small or Little

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Find the perfect name for your little one with this comprehensive list

Co-authored by Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson and Devin McSween

Last Updated: September 1, 2026 Fact Checked

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• For Girls
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• For Boys
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• Gender-Neutral
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• Names for Pets

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A name that means “small” is a sweet way to emphasize your little one’s cute size or celebrate beautiful qualities like humbleness and modesty, whether you’re naming a child, character, or pet! In this article, we partnered with naming experts to compile the best names that mean “small,” “little,” or “tiny,” for girls and boys (plus gender-neutral options), as well as pet-specific names for your furry friend. Read on for our big list of tiny-inspired names!

The Best Names that Mean Little or Small

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There are some names that literally mean “small,” like Paulina and Paul, as well as many names based on diminutives, like Ciara (“little dark one”) and Ronan (“little seal”). Here are some more popular name options meaning “small”:

• Girls: Alana, Carina, Fiorella, Mariella, Rochelle, Sonnet, Yara
• Boys: Aidan, Brodie, Conan, Kieran, Logan, Vaughn, Zuhair
• Unisex: Beck, Brooke, Courtney, Lane, Reagan, Robin, Wren

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Section 1 of 4:

Girl Names That Mean Small

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1. 
   There are a few lovely girl names that literally mean “small” or “little,” like Bindi, Cosette, Paola, and Talitha. Alternatively, there are many diminutive names that contain “little,” “small,” or “tiny” in the meaning. For instance, naming expert Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson says Fiorella (“little flower”) and Mariella (“little Mary”) are beautiful options. Here are more wonderful ideas to choose from:

   • Adva: “Small wave” or “ripple” (Hebrew)
   • Alana: “Little rock” (Irish)
   • Amoret: “Little love” (Old English and French)
   • Arizona: “Small spring” (Oʼodham)
   • Bindi: “Little girl” (Noongar)
   • Bláthíne: “Little flower” (Irish)
   • Carina: “Dear little one” (Italian and Latin)
   • Ciara: “Little dark one” or “dark-haired” (Irish)
   • Cosette: “Little thing” or “victorious” (French and Greek)
   • Deborah: “Bee” (Hebrew)
   • Devika: “Little goddess” (Sanskrit)
   • Donatella: “Little gift” (Latin and Italian)
   • Fiorella: “Little flower” (Italian)
   • Frauke: “Little lady” (German)
   • Gitika: “Small song” (Sanskrit)
   • Glynis/Glynnis: “Small glen,” “little valley,” “pure” (Welsh)
   • Gretchen: “Little Greta” or “little pearl” (German)
   • Keira/Kiera: “Little dark one” or “dark-haired” (Irish)
   • Koharu: “Small spring” or “late summer” (Japanese)
   • Lana: “Little rock” or “path” (Irish and Scottish)
   • Maimu: “Little one” (Estonian)
   • Marcella: “Little warrior” (Latin and Italian)
   • Mariella: A diminutive of Maria, meaning “little Mary” (Italian)
   • Nhi: “Little one” or “child” (Vietnamese)
   • Ondine: “Little wave” (Latin)
   • Paola: “Small” or “humble” (Italian and Latin)
   • Paula: “Small” or “humble” (Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin)
   • Paulina: “Small” or “humble” (French and Latin)
   • Pauline: “Small” or “humble” (French and Latin)
   • Pipaluk: “Sweet little thing” (Greenlandic)
   • Rochelle: “Little rock” (French)
   • Róisín: “Little rose” (Irish)
   • Sayuri: “Small lily” (Japanese)
   • Sonnet: “Little song” (Italian and Latin)
   • Sorina: “Little deer” or “sun” (Romanian)
   • Suzu: “Little bell” (Japanese)
   • Talitha: “Little girl” (Aramaic)
   • Tuulikki: “Little wind” (Finnish)
   • Umayma: “Little mother” (Arabic)
   • Ursula: “Little bear” (Latin)
   • Veslemøy: “Little girl” (Norwegian)
   • Wei: “Small” or “rose” (Chinese)
   • Yara: “Small butterfly” (Arabic)
   • Zita: “Little girl” or “hunter” (Italian and Greek)

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming expert and consultant. She shares name meanings and naming tips with her over 20k followers on her Instagram, @little_name_library.

   Sonya Prior is a baby naming expert known as the BB Namer. She works with families to find the perfect baby name and shares name content on social media to over 30k followers.

   Jennifer Ficarra is a name consultant and the founder of Nom de Bloom. She also shares naming content on social media.
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Section 2 of 4:

Boy Names That Mean Small

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1. 
   If you’re looking for a boy name that literally means “small,” there are plenty of options to choose from, like Boris, Kelan, Paolo, and Vaughn. There are also lots of wonderful diminutive names that contain “little” in the meaning. For example, Dr. Wilson suggests the names Orson (“little bear”) and Rowan (“little red one”). Check out some additional great options below:

   • Aidan: “Little fire” or “fiery one” (Irish)
   • Alan: “Little rock” or “pebble” (Irish)
   • Attila/Atilla: “Little father” or “universal ruler” (Germanic and Turkish)
   • Babak: “Little father” (Persian)
   • Boris: “Short,” “wolf,” “snow leopard,” or “to fight” (Bulgarian and Slavic)
   • Brodie: “Little ridge,” “precipice,” or “ditch” (Gaelic)
   • Ciarán: “Little dark one” or “little dark-haired one” (Irish)
   • Caolán: “Little slender one” (Irish)
   • Chico: “Little one” or “boy” (Spanish); also a nickname for Francisco (Portuguese)
   • Conan: “Little hound” or “little wolf” (Irish)
   • Faolán: “Little wolf” (Irish)
   • Hershel/Herschel: “Little deer” (Yiddish)
   • Kelan: “Little slender one” (Irish)
   • Kieran: “Little dark one” or “little dark-haired one” (Irish)
   • Klein: “Small” (German)
   • Logan: “Little hollow” or “small valley” (Scottish)
   • Lorcan: “Little fierce one” (Irish)
   • Lowell: “Little wolf” or “young wolf” (French, English, and Latin)
   • Murilo: “Little wall” (Portuguese and Spanish)
   • Nevan: “Little saint” or “saintly” (Irish)
   • Nizar: “Little,” “small,” or “scarce” (Arabic)
   • Oisín: “Little deer” or “fawn” (Irish)
   • Oran: "Little pale green one” (Irish)
   • Orson: “Little bear” (French and Latin)
   • Pablo: “Small” or “humble” (Spanish and Latin)
   • Paolo: “Small” or “humble” (Italian and Latin)
   • Paul: “Small” or “humble” (Latin)
   • Pavel: “Small” or “humble” (Slavic and Latin)
   • Regulus: “Little king” or “prince” (Latin)
   • Ronan: “Little seal” (Irish)
   • Rowan: “Little red one” (Celtic)
   • Russell: “Little red one” or “red-haired” (French and Old Norse)
   • Santino: “Little saint” (Italian)
   • Senan: “Little old one” (Irish)
   • Tiernan: “Little lord” (Irish)
   • Tufayl/Tufail: “Small child” (Arabic)
   • Vaughn: “Small” (Welsh)
   • Velvel: “Little wolf” (Yiddish)
   • Zuhair: “Small blossom” or “little flower” (Arabic)

Section 3 of 4:

Gender-Neutral Names That Mean Small

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1. 
   If you’re looking for a name that’s not traditionally feminine or masculine, you’re in luck! There are several great ideas that either mean “small,” like Courtney, or contain “small” or “little” in the definition, like Brooke. Here are some of our favorites:

   • Beck: “Small stream” or “brook” (Middle English)
   • Beckett: “Small stream,” “brook,” or “small beak” (Middle English)
   • Brooke: “Small stream” (English and German)
   • Courtney: “Short” or “short nose” (French and Latin)
   • Covey: “Small brood of birds” (English and Irish)
   • Demi: “Half” or “small” (French)
   • Lane: “Small roadway” or “narrow path” (English)
   • Madden: “Little hound” (Irish)
   • Paget: “Little page” or “young attendant” (Old English, Greek, and French)
   • Reagan: “Little king” (Irish)
   • Robin: “Small songbird” (English)
   • Ryan: “Little king” (Irish)
   • Wren: “Small songbird” (English)
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Section 4 of 4:

Names for Pets That Mean Small

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1. 
   Choosing a pet name that means “small” is a super cute way to play into their small size, whether you’re naming a dog, cat, bunny, bird, or reptile. Alternatively, a name that means “small” can be a funny and ironic name for a large pet! Here are some great options, including names that mean “small” or are inspired by little things:

   • Apricot: After the small fruit
   • Atom: After the smallest unit of matter
   • Baby: “Young, small child” (English)
   • Bean: After the small legume
   • Berry: After the small fruit
   • Biscuit: After the small round bread
   • Bitty: “Tiny” (English)
   • Bud: After the small flower bloom
   • Bug: “Small insect” (English”
   • Button: After the small fasteners used on clothing
   • Chip: After the fried snack
   • Clementine: After the small citrus fruit
   • Cupcake: After the small pastry
   • Dot: “A small spot” (Old English)
   • Freckle: After the small brown spots that appear on the skin
   • Gizmo: “A small gadget or tool” (French)
   • Mercury: After the smallest planet in the Solar System
   • Millie: After “milli-,” referring to a small form of measurement
   • Minnie: After “mini,” meaning “miniature”
   • Minnow: After the small freshwater fish
   • Muffin: After the small pastry
   • Nixie: “Water sprite” or “water fairy” (Germanic)
   • Nugget: “A small chunk or lump of something” (English)
   • Oreo: After the small chocolate and cream cookies
   • Peanut: After the small legume
   • Pearl: After the small white gem
   • Pebble: “Small stone” (Old English)
   • Penny: After the small one-cent coin
   • Pepper: After the spice or vegetable
   • Pip: “A small fruit seed” (English); also short for Pipsqueak
   • Pixie: “Small fairy-like creature” (English)
   • Pluto: After the small dwarf planet in the Solar System
   • Sprite: “Small water fairy” (Middle English)
   • Sweetpea: After the small flower
   • Tater Tot: After the fried potato snack
   • Tiny: “Very small” (English)
   • Toto: After Dorothy’s tiny terrier in The Wizard of Oz
   • Violet: After the small flower

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