Short girl names. Photo: Shutterstock
Short names are in fashion. Some are strong and forceful, others sweet and with beautiful meanings. Are you looking for inspiration to choose your girl’s name? We offer you a list with some of the most popular ones.
Short names are better suited to a middle name, in case you’re looking for a compound alternative. They are also perfect when you have long surnames. They are loud, forceful and hardly abbreviated, since many are already a diminutive.
Abir: Unisex name of Hebrew and Arabic origin that means: “Fragrance or strong aroma”. Variants: Abeer, Abeeri, Abiri.
Ada: It is of Hebrew origin, an evolution of Adah. It means “Beauty, ornament”. In the bible she is one of the wives of Lamech, a descendant of Cain. Other origins indicate that it derives from the English name Eadda, which means “Happiness, wealth”. It is the diminutive of the Germanic names Adela or Adelaida. It is linked to Hada (Fairy), a magical being in children’s literature.
Ana: It comes from the Hebrew Jana and means “beneficent, compassionate, full of grace”. This name goes back to the bible. In the Old Testament the name of Hannah refers to the mother of the prophet Samuel. The Christian tradition knows the mother of Virgin Mary by the name of Ana.
Alba: It has two possible origins. Some say that it comes from the Scottish-Gaelic and others that it is of Latin origin. Its meaning is: “First light of day”, “Beautiful dawn”, “Before sunrise”, “The one that illuminates the day”.
Azul: Of Persian origin and means “The color of the sky”. Name that is related to kindness and warmth. It represents tranquility and is related to infinity and the divine.
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Bela: Name of Hebrew origin, derived from Elizabela. It means “Fair-skinned woman”.
Bella: It comes from Latin. It is a variant of Isabella and Anabella and means “Beauty”.
Bera: Unisex name of Germanic origin that means “Bear”. Another possible origin is Norwegian and in this case it means “spiritual”.
Beth: Diminutive of Bethia, Hebrew name that means “life”.
Betsy: Name of Hebrew origin that means “consecrated to God.” It is one of the variants of Elizabeth.
Cala: In Arabic it means “castle or fortress”.
Cara: Italian name of Latin origin that means “dear and beloved”.
Carla: It is of Germanic origin and means “the one who is strong”.
Cleo: Of Greek origin. It means “glory.” It is also the diminutive of Cleopatra.
Cora: From the Greek Korë. It means “maiden, girl, young virgin”.
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Dai: Of Japanese origin, it means “to shine”.
Dana: Female variant of Daniel. It is of Hebrew origin and means “God is my judge”.
Dara: Of Hebrew origin, it means “pearl of wisdom”.
Dava: Diminutive of Davina. Of Hebrew origin and it means “little deer”.
Demi: Of Greek origin, it means “half”. It is the affectionate version of Demetria.
Dina: It comes from the Hebrew word dyin which means “justice”.
Dua: Of Albanian origin which means “love”.
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Ebba: Of Danish origin. It means “strong”.
Edna: It comes from Hebrew. She means “rejuvenation”.
Egle: Of Greek origin, it means “resplendent”.
Ela: Of Anglo-Saxon origin. It means “the one who is noble”.
Elba: Of German origin. It comes from ‘elf’ and ‘alb’. It means “elf, pixie”.
Elea: From Greek and Breton. It means “brilliant”.
Elia: It means, “the one that shines like the sun”. She is of Greek origin.
Elif: It is of Turkish origin, it means “fine and tall”.
Elin: It is of Scandinavian origin, it means “resplendent”.
Ella: Of English origin, diminutive of Hellen / Ellen. She means “light” or “torch”.
Elma: It comes from German, it means “whom her will protects”.
Eva: Of Hebrew origin, it means “the one who gives life.” She is the first woman, according to the bible.
Fara: Of Germanic origin, it means “land, property where a family that emigrates is established”.
Fela: It has two origins. From Polish, it means “lucky”. From African, it means “bellicose”.
Fran: It is the short form of the Latin French, which means “free”. Variants: Frain and Frann.
Fei: Name of Chinese origin that means: “flight / dance in the air”.
Febe: It comes from the Latin Phoebe, it means “resplendent”.
Fuji: It means “rich” or “flower” and is of Japanese origin.
Fuyu: Of Japanese origin that means “winter”.
Faye: Hawaiian name that means “fairies”.
Gaia or Gaya: Name of Greek origin. Coming from mythology. It refers to the goddess of the earth.
Gala: It is of Latin origin and refers to those born in Gaul.
Galia: Name of Latin origin, variant of Gala. It refers to the inhabitants of Gaul, a region of Central Europe that is currently occupied by France, Belgium, western Switzerland, northern Germany and the Netherlands.
Gea: Name of Greek origin. It comes from the mythology, as it was the name of the goddess Gaya or Gaia. Its meaning is “land”.
Gina: Name of Hebrew origin, diminutive of Georgina that means “farmer woman”.
Hada: Variant of Hadassah, which is of Hebrew origin and it means “myrtle tree”.
Hadi: Diminutive of Hadiya. Name of Arabic origin that means “the gift”. Other Muslim scholars indicate that it means “guide of justice”.
Hala: Of Hebrew origin, it means “halo”.
Hali: It is of Greek origin, it means “the sea”.
Hana: It is the Czech and Polish diminutive of Johana, a variant of Joanna, which means “God is merciful”.
Hani: Of Hawaiian origin, it means “joy”.
Hania: It is of Hebrew origin, it means “camp”.
Hara: Of Hindi origin, it means “to take advantage, to seize”.
Hava: Of Hebrew origin, it means “life”.
Hea: Of Korean origin, it means “grace”.
Hera: In Greek mythology, she was the wife of Zeus and Queen of the gods. It means “the goddess of the year”.
Isis: It is the Greek name of a goddess from the Egyptian mythology. The Egyptian name was Ast, which means throne.
Izel: Name of Nahuatl origin. It means: “Unique”.
Inna: Name of Russian origin whose meaning is “water that moves with force” or “torrent of water”.
Ivy: This name is originally from Old English and refers to Ivy.
Inoa: Of Hawaiian origin. It means “name”.
Ines: It comes from the Greek agne and means “pure, chaste”. Another possible origin indicates that it comes from the Latin agnus, “lamb”.
Iana: It’s a variant of Ayanna, pretty flower. Swahili name.
Ilse: It means: God is my oath. Diminutive of Elisabeth.
Itza: Sorceress of water.
Illa: “Light.” “Sacred”. “Talisman, the one that brings luck and fortune.” “Trustworthy”.
Itatí: It comes from the Guaraní. It means “white stone”.
Jade: Refers to the appreciated semi-precious stone.
Jane: Of Hebrew origin, it means “full of graces”.
Jani: Finnish variant of Juana.
Jara: Of Slavic origin, diminutive of Gertrude, feminine version of Gerard, from gar, “spear” ”and wald, “to rule”.
Java: Of Hebrew origin, it means “life”. In the Torah she is the first woman.
Jeri: It comes from the German surname Gerard, from gar, “spear” “and wald,” to rule”.
Joy: It is associated with the English words “joy” and “rejoicing”.
Kim: Of Korean origin, the meaning of this name is “gold”.
Kai: Hawaiian name whose meaning is “deep ocean”.
Kali: Of Sanskrit origin, it means “black”. Kani: Hawaiian variant of Constance, which means “constancy”.
Kara: It has its origin in Norse mythology. Its meaning is interpreted as “friend, dear.”
Kate: Diminutive of Katherine or Catalina in Spanish. It means “pure”.
Kia: Of African origin, it means “start of season”.
Kiki: Of Japanese origin, it means “double happiness”.
Kin: It means sun in Mayan.
Lada: In Slavic mythology, she was the goddess of youth and beauty.
Laia: Catalan diminutive of Eulalia, a name of Greek origin that means “to speak well”.
Lala: Slavic variant of Laura. It means “triumph” or “victorious”.
Lana: Diminutive of Alana, feminine variant of Alan, which means “happy”.
Lara: This name has two possible origins. One indicates that it is a Russian diminutive of the name Larisa. The other indicates that it comes from the Roman mythology and was the name of one of the water nymphs.
Lari: Diminutive of Laura, name of Latin origin that means “triumph” or “victorious”.
Léa: French name that means “strong, brave”.
Leah: Biblical name of Hebrew origin, it means “tired”.
Lei: It means thunder in Chinese.
Leia: Variant of Leah, which is of Hebrew origin and means “tired” or variant of Leya, which is of Hindu origin and means “lion”.
Lena: Short form of Elena, means “radiant, luminous, fire”.
Leta: Of Latin origin, it means “happy”.
Lexi: Diminutive of Alexandra, feminine form of Alejandro, which means “defender of men”.
Lide: Basque equivalent of Lidia.
Lila: Of Arabic origin, it means “night”.
Lin: Variant of Lynn, which derives from the Celtic “leena” and it means “lake”.
Lis / Lys: It means “lily”.
Lisa: Diminutive of Elizabeth, which is of Hebrew origin and means “consecrated to God”.
Liu: Of Chinese origin, it means “willow tree”.
Liv: Of Nordic origin, it means “life”.
Loa: Of Hawaiian origin, it means “long”.
Lola: Diminutive of Dolores, it means “the suffering one”. It is a name referring to the grief of the virgin when her son was crucified.
Luna: It derives from the Latin “moon”, contraction of “lucina” and means “to shine”, “to illuminate”.
Luz: It means “the one that brings the light”.
Maat: Name of an Egyptian goddess, symbol of truth, justice and cosmic harmony.
Mae: Variant of May, diminutive of Mary, María in English. Mar: Name of Latin origin inspired by nature.
Mara: From the Hebrew marah, it means “she who grieves”.
Meg: Margaret’s English nickname.
Mia: Of Hebrew origin, diminutive of Maria.
Mila: Of Slavic origin, abbreviated form of Ludmila and Miloslava. It means, “loved by the people”.
Mina: Means “fish” in Sanskrit.
Mona: Of Irish origin, it means “small and noble”.
Nala: Of African origin, it means “successful”.
Nana: Of Hawaiian origin, it is the name of a spring month and of a star.
Neda: Of Slavic origin, it means “born on Sunday”.
Nela: Of Latin origin, short for Manuela, which means “God is with us”.
Nika: Of Russian origin, it means “belonging to God, born on Sunday”.
Nina: Of Chaldean origin, a region of ancient Mesopotamia, it means “the protector of her palaces”. Short for Juanita, Ana or Giovanna with the meaning of ‘grace’.
Nisa: Of Guanche origin, it is the name of Princess Bibamche, daughter of Ossinissa, and it means “to be sold”.
Nohi: Hawaiian in origin, it means “brightness of the colors of the rainbow”.
Nori: Of Japanese origin, it means “law, order”.
Nut: Of Egyptian origin, she is the goddess of the sky, creator of the universe and the stars, according to the mythology.
Nya: Of Swahili origin, it means “goal, purpose”.
Oana: Romanian variant of Johanna, of Hebrew origin and its meaning is “God is merciful”.
Oda: Scandinavian diminutive of Odelia that means Odelia: of Hebrew origin, it means “I will praise the Lord”.
Olga: Of Russian origin, it means “sacred”.
Ona: Of Irish origin, it means “elegant”.
Onda: Of Italian origin, it means “wave”.
Oba: In the Nigerian mythology, it is the name of the ancient goddess of rivers.
Ofra: Of Hebrew origin, it means “fawn”.
Olea: It is believed that it comes from ancient Hebrew and means “night, moon”.
Oni: Name of Egyptian origin, it means “wanted”.
Oona: Irish variant of Una, meaning “sheep”.
Orit: Of Hebrew origin, it means “light”.
Orla: Of Irish origin, it means “golden princess”.
Orli: Of Hebrew origin, it means “light”.
Osla: Of Scottish origin, it means “consecrated God”.
Pau: Of Latin origin, a variant of Pablo in Catalan and Paz in feminine. It is used frequently for both genders.
Paz: Name of Latin origin that means “peace, harmony”.
Pía: Name of Latin origin, feminine variant of Pío. Its meaning is “very devout”.
Pili: Name of Egyptian origin and unisex use. It means “born second”. In our country it is a name used as a diminutive of Pilar.
Pua: Name of Hawaiian origin that means “flower”.
Puah: Name of Hebrew origin that means “girl”. According to the book of Exodus, Puah was together with Shifrá, a midwife who prevented the massacre of thousands of Hebrew children.
Puy: Marian invocation of Our Lady of Puy, venerated in Aragon and Navarra.
Qi: Of Chinese origin, it means “energy, wisdom”. In Chinese philosophy it is the vital flow that is found in every living being.
Qori: Of Quechua origin, it means “gold, golden”.
Quela: Of Hebrew origin, affectionate diminutive of Miquela. It means “no one like God”.
Qura: Of Quechua origin. It means “grass, little as grass”.
Rai: Of Japanese origin. It means “next child”.
Rani: Of Indian origin, it means “queen”.
Rhea: In Greek mythology she was the mother of the Olympian gods.
Remi: Of French origin, it means “rower” or “boat”.
Riko: of Japanese origin, it means “white jasmine”.
Rosa: Of Latin origin. It means “she who is beautiful as a rose”.
Rubí: Of Latin origin, it means “precious red stone”.
Rumi: Of Japanese origin, it means “beauty”.
Ruth: Of Hebrew origin, it means “faithful companion”.
Sara: Name of Hebrew origin that means “my princess”.
Sami: Of Quechua origin, it means “lucky, happy, blissful”.
Saori: Of Japanese origin, it means “to flourish”.
Sara: Of Hebrew origin, it means “princess, lady”.
Saya: Of Japanese origin, it means “fast arrow”.
Shani: Of Egyptian origin, it means “wonderful, crimson”.
Shir: Of Israeli origin, this unisex name means “song, chant”.
Sia: Of Welsh origin, it means “fresh, cold”.
Sila: Of Turkish origin, it means “nostalgic, she who feels nostalgia”.
Sisa: Of Quechua origin, it means “immortal flower, the one that always comes back to life”.
Sita: Of Hindu origin, it means “goddess of the Earth”.
Sun: Of Latin origin, it is the star and the sun god.
Sue: Abbreviation of Susana, which means “white flower, lily”.
Suni: Of Korean origin, it means “goodness”.
Suri: Of Hebrew origin, it means “princess”.
Tala: Name of Basque origin that refers to the old church of Our Lady, in Bermeo.
Tally: Name of Hebrew origin that means “dew”.
Tania: Russian variant of Tatiana’s name.
Tara: Name of Irish origin that means “place where the kings meet”.
Tasya: Russian variant of the name Anastasia, which means “resurrection”.
Tea: It means, “the one granted by God.” Abbreviation of Dorotea in Italian.
Teha: Name of Greek origin that means “the gift of God”.
Tina: Diminutive of names ending in “tina”. Florentina, Cristina, Martina or Faustina, among others.
Tita: Name of Hebrew origin with two possible meanings “white clay” and “protected”.
Tori: Name of English origin that means “triumphant”.
Toya: Appellative of the name Victoria, of Latin origin, which means “victorious”.
Tyna: Name of English origin that means “river”.
Uba: Basque name that comes from the old hermitage of Nuestra Señora, in Altza (Guipúzcoa).
Uda: Basque name that means “summer”.
Uha: Of Polynesian origin, it means “rain”.
Uki: Inuit name meaning “survivor”.
Ula: Name of Celtic origin that means “jewel of the sea”.
Uma: Of Hebrew origin, it means “nation”.
Unna: Name of German origin, it means “woman”.
Ura: Name of Sanskrit origin that means “heart”.
Uxía: It comes from the Greek and means “well born”, “noble”.
Vera: It comes from the Latin verus, which means – “true”. In Russian it means “faith”. If we put them together, it would be “the one who has true faith” or “the one who tells the truth”.
Vica: Name of Hebrew origin that means: life.
Vida: Diminutive of Davina: “loved”.
Vani: Name of Sanskrit origin: eloquent in words; sound.
Veda: Derived from Sanskrit which literally means “knowledge, understanding”.
Viola: Latin name that means “violet.” Variant: Violante.
Vanna: Of Cambodian origin, it means “golden”.
Var: She is an Ásynjur, a goddess of the Æsir in Norse mythology. “Var” is likely to mean “benevolent”. She is the one who listens to the oaths and agreements among men and women, and takes revenge.
Walda: It means “wonderful woman” and is of German origin.
Wan: Of Chinese origin. It means “soft”, “gentle”, “beautiful or” pretty.
Wanda: Of German origin. It comes from wand, which refers to the Vandals (one of the Barbarian peoples). It means “the protector of the vandals”.
Wara: Of Quechua origin. It means “star”.
Xena: Of Greek origin, the meaning of this name is “the guest who comes from abroad”.
Xenia: Of Greek origin, the meaning of this name is “one who is supportive” or “hospitable woman”.
Xia: Chinese name that means “the glow of the setting sun”.
Xica: Brazilian name that means “wild tree” or “the one that has been called to high need”. Xiu: Name of Chinese origin that means “elegant woman”.
Xué: Name of Muisca origin whose meaning is “the sun god”.
Xan: Galician name that means: “God is merciful”.
Xama: Guanche name. It means “where the waters are born”.
Yafa / Yaffa / Yafit: Of Hebrew origin, it means “beauty”.
Yaira: It comes from the Hebrew, it means “to illuminate”.
Yaiza: From Arabic, it means “rainbow, person who shares everything”.
Yalid: It comes from Arabic, it means “beautiful flower in the field”.
Yamal: It is of Arabic origin, it means “beauty”.
Yanai: It is of Quechua origin, it means “my brunette, my beloved”.
Yanel: It is of French origin, it means “channel”.
Yarah: It is of Brazilian origin, it means “woman of the water”.
Yari: Of Russian origin, it is the diminutive of Yarine, which means “calm”.
Yasu: Of Japanese origin, it means “calm”.
Yaxha: Native name of North America. It means “green water”.
Yei: Of Japanese origin, it means “to flourish”.
Yeni: Of Chinese origin, it means “longed for, desired”.
Yin: Of Chinese origin, it means “silver, educated”.
Yoi: It means “born in the afternoon” and it’s Japanese.
Yoki: It is of Japanese origin, it means “blue bird”.
Yoko: It is of Japanese origin, it means “good, positive”.
Yona: It is of Hebrew origin, it means “dove”.
Yua: Of Japanese origin, it means “empathy, union, love, affection”.
Yuni: Of English origin, a variant of June, which means “June, the sixth month”.
Yuria: Of Quechua origin, it means “dawn, sunrise”.
Zaba: Of Hebrew origin. It means “the one who offers a sacrifice to God.”.
Zaira: Of Arab origin. It means “flowery”, “fruitful”. Variants: Zajira, Zahira, Zajara, Zahra, Zaahira, Zaara, Zahyr or Zayra.
Zara: The Arabic name comes Azahara. It means “flower”, “blooming”. If its Hebrew origin is taken into account, it comes from zeraj. It means “radiant,” “bright,” or “full of light”.
Zhen: Of Chinese origin. It means “precious”.
Zhuo: Of Chinese origin. It means “smart”.
Zita: Of Persian origin. It means “empress”.
Ziva: Of Hebrew origin. It means “radiant”.
Zoa: Of Greek origin. It comes from zoe, which means “life”.
Zoe: Unisex name of Greek origin. It means “life”. Variants: Soe, Soee, Soia, Soiah, Zoa, Zoah, Zoee, Zoey, Zoela, Zoeta, Zoi, Zoia, Zoiah, Zolid, Zolita, Zoy, Zoya, Zoyah, Zoye, Zowie, Zoie, Zoila, Zoyla, Ziva, Zyva and Zoé.
Zulma: Of Arab origin. It means “healthy and vigorous woman”.
Zuri: It means “white” in Basque; in Swahili it is “pretty”. In French it means “charming” and in Indian, “princess”. Variant: Zury.
Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara
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