Katyusha f RussianDiminutive of
Yekaterina. This is the name of a 1938 Soviet song, which became popular during World War II.
Kizzy f EnglishDiminutive of
Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries
Roots (1977).
Lăcrămioara f RomanianMeans
"lily of the valley" in Romanian (species Convallaria majalis). It is derived from a diminutive form of
lacrămă "tear".
Lara 1 f Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, CroatianRussian short form of
Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel
Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.
Lassie f LiteratureFrom 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.
Lauretta f ItalianItalian diminutive of
Laura. This is the name of one of the narrators in Boccaccio's book
The Decameron (1350).
Lili f German, French, HungarianGerman, French and Hungarian diminutive of
Elisabeth and other names containing
li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word
lilie meaning
"lily".
Lill f Norwegian, SwedishDiminutive of
Elisabet and other names containing
li. It is also associated with Norwegian and Swedish
lille, an inflected form of
liten meaning "little".
Lillian f EnglishProbably 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.
Lilou f FrenchEither a diminutive of French names containing the sound
lee or a combination of
Lili and
Louise.
Lindy m & f EnglishOriginally 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.
Ljubinka f SerbianFrom the Slavic element
ľuby meaning
"love" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Logan m & f EnglishFrom 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] Lola f Spanish, English, FrenchSpanish diminutive of
Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
Lolita f SpanishDiminutive of
Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
Lori f EnglishDiminutive 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.
Lucetta f ItalianDiminutive of
Luce. Shakespeare used this name for a character in his play
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
Lucky m & f English, HindiFrom 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).
Ludmila f Czech, Latvian, RussianMeans
"favour of the people" from the Slavic elements
ľudŭ "people" and
milŭ "gracious, dear". Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.
... [more] Luminița f RomanianMeans
"little light", derived from Romanian
lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Lynette f English, Arthurian CycleForm 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.
Lyudmila f Russian, BulgarianRussian and Bulgarian form of
Ludmila. This was the name of a character in Aleksandr Pushkin's poem
Ruslan and Lyudmila (1820).
Madicken f Literature, 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.
Maisie f Scottish, EnglishScottish 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.
Maja 2 f Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovene, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, HungarianDiminutive of
Maria.
Mari 1 f Estonian, Finnish, Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Georgian, ArmenianEstonian, Finnish, Welsh and Breton form of
Maria, as well as a Hungarian diminutive of
Mária. It is also a Scandinavian, Georgian and Armenian form of the French name
Marie.
Marika f Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Greek, Finnish, Estonian, Swedish, Georgian, Italian, GermanDiminutive of
Maria and other names beginning with
Mari.
Marilla f English (Archaic)Possibly a diminutive of
Mary or a variant of
Amaryllis. More common in the 19th century, this name was borne by the American suffragist Marilla Ricker (1840-1920). It is also the name of the adoptive mother of Anne in L. M. Montgomery's novel
Anne of Green Gables (1908).
Marnie f EnglishPossibly a diminutive of
Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie
Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.
May f EnglishDerived from the name of the month of May, which derives from
Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower. It is also used as a diminutive of
Mary,
Margaret or
Mabel.
Megan f Welsh, EnglishWelsh diminutive of
Margaret. In the English-speaking world outside of Wales it has only been regularly used since the middle of the 20th century.
Meja f Swedish (Modern)Possibly from a Low German diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
megin meaning
"power, strength". It was popularized by the Swedish singer Meja (1969-), born Anna Pernilla Torndahl.
Merry 1 f EnglishFrom the English word
merry, ultimately from Old English
myrige. This name appears in Charles Dickens' novel
Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), where it is a diminutive of
Mercy.
Mickey m & f EnglishDiminutive or feminine form of
Michael. This was the name that Walt Disney gave to Ub Iwerks' cartoon character Mickey Mouse (debuting 1928), who was called Mortimer Mouse while being developed. Another famous bearer was the American baseball player Mickey Mantle (1931-1995).
Miillaaraq f GreenlandicPossibly from Greenlandic
millalaarpoq meaning
"drone, hum (of an insect)" combined with the diminutive suffix
-araq.
Milada f Czech, SlovakOriginally a diminutive of names containing the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear". It can also be derived from Czech and Slovak
mladá meaning
"young", ultimately from Old Slavic *
moldŭ.
Miley f English (Modern)In the case of actress and singer Miley Cyrus (1992-), it is a shortened form of the nickname
Smiley, given to her by her father because she often smiled. Although it was not at all common before she brought it to public attention, there are some examples of its use before her time, most likely as a diminutive of
Miles.