Kai 1mFrisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
KeeganmEnglish From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Aodhagáin, which was derived from the given name Aodhagán, a double diminutive of Aodh.
KeesmDutch Dutch diminutive of Cornelis. A notable bearer was the Dutch painter Kees van Dongen (1877-1968).
KęstutismLithuanian From Lithuanian kęsti meaning "to cope, to endure" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Lithuania.
KizzyfEnglish Diminutive of Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries Roots (1977).
LancelotmArthurian Cycle Possibly an Old French diminutive of Lanzo (see Lance). In Arthurian legend Lancelot was the bravest of the Knights of the Round Table. He became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere, ultimately causing the destruction of Arthur's kingdom. His earliest appearance is in the works of the 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes: briefly in Erec and Enide and then as a main character in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
LarrymEnglish Diminutive of Laurence 1. A notable bearer is former basketball player Larry Bird (1956-).
LassiefLiterature From a diminutive of the northern English word lass meaning "young girl", a word probably of Norse origin. This name was used by the author Eric Knight for a collie dog in his novel Lassie Come-Home (1940), later adapted into a popular film and television series.
LilifGerman, French, Hungarian German, French and Hungarian diminutive of Elisabeth and other names containing li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word lilie meaning "lily".
LillfNorwegian, Swedish Diminutive of Elisabet and other names containing li. It is also associated with Norwegian and Swedish lille, an inflected form of liten meaning "little".
LillianfEnglish Probably originally a diminutive of Elizabeth. It may also be considered an elaborated form of Lily, from the Latin word for "lily" lilium. This name has been used in England since the 16th century.
LiloufFrench Either a diminutive of French names containing the sound lee or a combination of Lili and Louise.
Lindym & fEnglish Originally this was a masculine name, coming into use in America in 1927 when the dance called the Lindy Hop became popular. The dance was probably named for aviator Charles Lindbergh. Later this name was used as a diminutive of Linda.
LionelmFrench, English, Arthurian Cycle French diminutive of Léon. It appears in Arthurian legend in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle, belonging to a knight who was the brother of Sir Bors. A notable modern bearer is the Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi (1987-).
LjubicafSerbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix. It can also come from the Serbian and Croatian word ljubica meaning "violet (flower)".
LjubinkafSerbian From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix.
LjubišamSerbian From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix.
LjubomCroatian, Serbian, Slovene Diminutive of Ljubomir and other names beginning with the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love". It is often used independently.
Loganm & fEnglish From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Ayrshire meaning "little hollow" (from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit" combined with a diminutive suffix). This name started slowly rising on the American popularity charts in the mid-1970s, perhaps partly inspired by the movie Logan's Run (1976). The comic book character Wolverine, alias Logan, was also introduced around the same time.... [more]
LolafSpanish, English, French Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
LolitafSpanish Diminutive of Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
LommánmOld Irish Means "little bare one", derived from Old Irish lomm "bare" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a nephew of Saint Patrick.
LonánmIrish, Old Irish Means "little blackbird", derived from Old Irish lon "blackbird" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early saints.
LorcánmIrish Means "little fierce one", derived from Old Irish lorcc "fierce" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Lorcán was a 12th-century archbishop of Dublin.
LorifEnglish Diminutive of Laura, Lorraine and other names beginning with Lor. This name rapidly rose in popularity in the United States in the 1950s and 60s, peaking in the 8th spot for girls in 1963.
LowellmEnglish From an English surname that was derived from a Norman French nickname, from lou "wolf" and a diminutive suffix. The surname was borne by American poet and satirist James Russell Lowell (1819-1891).
LubošmCzech Originally a diminutive of names beginning with the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love".
LucettafItalian Diminutive of Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Luckym & fEnglish, Hindi From a nickname given to a lucky person. It is also sometimes used as a diminutive of Luke. A famous bearer was the Italian-American gangster "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962).
LynettefEnglish, Arthurian Cycle Form of Lynet used by Alfred Tennyson in his 1872 poem Gareth and Lynette. According to Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette were eventually married. In modern times it is also regarded as a diminutive of Lynn.
MadickenfLiterature, Swedish (Rare) Used by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren for the heroine of her series of books of the same name, first published in 1960. She is called Maggie, Meg or Mardie in English translations. In the books the name is a diminutive of Margareta, though the inspiration for the character was Lindgren's childhood friend Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.
MadocmWelsh (Rare) From the Old Welsh name Matauc, derived from mad meaning "good, fortunate" combined with a diminutive suffix. This is the name of a warrior mentioned in the 7th-century Welsh poem Y Gododdin. It was also borne by several medieval rulers, including the 12th-century Madoc ap Maredudd, the last prince of Powys. Another bearer, according to later folklore, was a son of the 12th-century Owain the Great who sailed to the Americas.
MaisiefScottish, English Scottish diminutive of Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.