120 Adorable Short Names for Girls

A short name lands fast and stays put. One or two syllables, easy to call across a playground, quick to write on a lunchbox, and hard to shorten into a nickname you never chose. That crisp, no-fuss sound is exactly why so many parents are drawn to tiny names for their daughters.

This list gathers 120 short girl names, from breezy nature picks like Ivy and Wren to vintage sweethearts like Mae and June and clean modern choices like Nova and Zoe. Each one comes with its meaning and origin, so you can see the story behind the sound before you fall for it.

Scroll on and find the little name that fits your girl perfectly.

120 Modern Short Girl Names

Here are the most beautiful, punchy, and sweet names for your baby girl, organized by style so you can find exactly what you are looking for.

Popular & Trending Short Names

These names are topping the charts and taking over playgrounds for good reason. Ava ranked 11th among US girls born in 2025, with 7,732 babies given the name after peaking at 3rd back in 2016 ⁽¹⁾. Luna’s US births are up 463 percent over the measured decade, and it still ranked 27th nationally in 2025 with 6,076 babies, per the Social Security Administration’s national name dataset. Ivy set its best rank on record in 2024, then held 39th place with 5,117 births in 2025, according to the same SSA figures. Emma was the 2nd most popular US girls’ name in 2024, per SSA’s Top 5 Names in Each of the Last 100 Years table ⁽²⁾.

1. Ada – A charming German girl name that means “noble.”
2. Aria – A musical choice representing “air,” “song,” or “melody” in Italian.
3. Ava – This massive hit means “life,” “bird,” “water,” or “island” in Latin.
4. Chloe – A Greek favorite that translates to “young green shoot.”
5. Ella – An English and German option meaning “fairy maiden” or “completely.”
6. Emma – This perennial favorite has a German meaning of “whole” or “universal.”
7. Eva – Meaning “life,” this Latin variant of Eve symbolizes purpose.
8. Isla – A beautiful Spanish and Scottish girl name meaning “island.”
9. Ivy – A botanical name climbing the popularity charts, meaning “vine” in English.
10. Luna – A mystical Latin name that translates directly to “moon.”
11. Maya – A multicultural favorite meaning “water” and “illusion.”
12. Mia – A frequently used Italian and Scandinavian option meaning “mine” or “bitter.”
13. Mila – Meaning “gracious” or “dear,” this Slavic name is easy and affectionate.
14. Noa – A Hebrew name meaning “movement,” a Top Ten favorite for girls in Israel that is climbing the US charts.
15. Nora – An illuminating choice of Irish or Greek origin meaning “light.”
16. Nova – A cosmic, modern short female name meaning “new” in Latin.
17. Zoe – A lively pick for short girl names, meaning “life” in Greek.

Nature-Inspired Short Names

Bring the outdoors in with these earthy and floral picks.

1. Bay – A cheeky gender-neutral Latin name meaning “berry.”
2. Dawn – An English word name for first light, meaning “sunrise” or “daybreak.”
3. Doe – An earthy short name for girls meaning “a female deer” in English.
4. Eden – A biblical girl name meaning “place of delight” or “pleasure” in Hebrew.
5. Faye – This magical short female name means “fairy” in English.
6. Fern – An English habitational name for someone who lives among the ferns.
7. Flo – A snappy Latin diminutive of Flora meaning “flower.”
8. Gaia – This short name for girls means “rejoicing” or “the Earth” in Greek.
9. Hazel – An Old English name referring to the hazelnut tree.
10. Iris – This chipper short girl’s name represents a flower or “rainbow” in Greek.
11. Jade – A solid Spanish female name meaning “stone of the side.”
12. Lily – A feminine name meaning “flower” or “pure” in English or Latin.
13. Neve – Has a chilling charm with its Latin or Irish “snow” definition.
14. Olive – A peaceful English name representing the olive tree.
15. Rain – A direct and refreshing nature name for a weather-loving family.
16. Rhea – A gentle Greek name tied to the Titaness mother of the gods, meaning “flowing stream.”
17. Rose – The quintessential floral name of Latin origin.
18. Rue – A popular short name for girls meaning “herb” or “regret.”
19. Sage – This gorgeous herb name means “wise” in Latin.
20. Sky – A charming pick for boys or girls meaning “cloud” or “sky” in Norse.
21. Sol – This fiery short girl’s name represents “sun” in Portuguese and Spanish.
22. Wren – This delicate English option means “small bird” and is a cute pick among short names for girls.

Vintage & Classic Short Names

Old-school cool is back in style with these timeless monikers.

1. Amy – This classic French short girl name means “beloved.”
2. Ann – Has a delicate style meaning “grace” in Hebrew or English.
3. Bea – This shortened variant of Beatrice means “she who brings happiness.”
4. Cora – A Greek female name meaning “maiden.”
5. Dot – This spunky variant comes from Dorothy, meaning “gift of God” in English.
6. Elsa – A German version of Elisabeth meaning “pledged to God.”
7. Etta – A British diminutive of Henrietta, meaning “ruler of the house.”
8. Eve – A biblical favorite for short female names, meaning “life” in Hebrew.
9. Ida – A German short name for girls meaning “industrious one.”
10. Jane – A humble and timeless Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious.”
11. Joan – An English classic meaning “God is gracious.”
12. Joy – Of Latin or English origin, meaning “happiness” or “great pleasure.”
13. June – A Latin girl name representing “the goddess Juno” and “a calendar month.”
14. Kay – A pretty diminutive of Katherine, meaning “pure.”
15. Lois – A Greek name meaning “most desirable.”
16. Mae – A popular and dainty form of Margaret meaning “bitter” or “pearl.”
17. Pam – This sweet variant of the old-fashioned Pamela means “all honey” in English.
18. Ruth – A warm Hebrew name meaning “compassionate friend.”
19. Tess – A vintage diminutive of Theresa meaning “to harvest.”
20. Vera – A Russian name meaning “faith” or a Latin name meaning “truth.”

Edgy & Unique Short Names

For parents who want something that stands out from the crowd.

1. Aja – This Hindi name meaning “goat” is distinctive and rare.
2. Brie – A unique French and Latin name meaning “cheese,” “strength,” or “marshland.”
3. Cleo – A short form of Cleopatra of Greek origin, meaning “glory.”
4. Demi – A bold short form of Demetria, meaning “half” or “small.”
5. Drew – A gender-neutral option meaning “strong and manly” or “wise” in Greek.
6. Gem – A glamorous Latin short girl name for “jewel” or “precious stone.”
7. Halo – An angelic word name evoking a ring of light, or “divine aura.”
8. Jett – An ultra-cool mineral name representing a deep black color.
9. Kit – A snappy, unisex nickname for Katherine or Christopher meaning “pure.”
10. Liv – A common nickname for Olivia, meaning “life,” that has thrived beautifully on its own.
11. Lux – A Latin name meaning “light” that feels expensive and modern.
12. Nyx – The Greek goddess of the night, a perfect edgy choice.
13. Quinn – An Irish surname-turned-first-name meaning “descendant of Conn.”
14. Rae – A spunky diminutive of Rachel, meaning “ewe” or “female sheep.”
15. Roxy – Is a catchy variant of Roxanne, meaning “dawn” in Persian.
16. Ruby – A bold Latin name meaning “deep red precious stone.”
17. Shay – An Irish and Hebrew short female name meaning “stately” or “gift.”
18. Sloan – An Irish name meaning “raider” or “warrior.”
19. Uma – Belongs to the famous actress Uma Thurman, meaning “light,” “peace,” or “nation.”
20. Zuri – A gorgeous Swahili name meaning “beautiful.”

International & Exotic Short Names

Short names from around the world that are easy to pronounce and full of culture.

1. Ala – Means “nobility” in Polish and “excellence” or “supreme” in Arabic.
2. Anya – This smooth Russian diminutive of Anna means “grace.”
3. Aya – A beautiful name of Hebrew, Japanese, and Arabic origin meaning “colorful,” “bird,” or “sign.”
4. Cali – Has a pleasant style meaning “beautiful” or “fairest” in Latin.
5. Dana – A precious English choice, meaning “gift” or “wise.”
6. Enya – This Irish girl’s name means “fire” and belongs to the famous singer Enya.
7. Erin – An Irish name meaning “Ireland” or “from the island to the west.”
8. Fia – Of Italian, Irish, and Portuguese origin meaning “wild” or “weaver.”
9. Gal – An uncommon name meaning “wave.”
10. Gia – An Italian short form of Gianna meaning “God’s gracious gift.”
11. Gwen – A Welsh version of Gwendolyn meaning “white” or “holy.”
12. Hope – Of British origin meaning “desire of fulfillment,” a gorgeous pick among short girl names.
13. Isa – Is a modern choice for girls and boys, meaning “strong-willed” in German.
14. Jan – An old-fashioned unisex variant of John, meaning “God is gracious.”
15. Jen – An abbreviated version of Jennifer meaning “white shadow” or “white wave” in Welsh.
16. Kaia – Means “to rejoice” or “the sea” in Hawaiian, Scandinavian, and Latin.
17. Kia – An African girl name meaning “season’s beginning.”
18. Kim – Comes from Kimberly, meaning “Cyneburg’s meadow” or “gold” in British and Korean.
19. Kira – A compelling Russian short girl name meaning “throne.”
20. Kori – A soft, unisex name meaning “lamb.”
21. Lana – An English variant of Alana, meaning “rock” or “handsome.”
22. Lani – A charming Hawaiian female name meaning “sky” or “heaven.”
23. Lia – A variant of Leah meaning “weary” in Italian or Russian.
24. Lin – A cute version of Linda meaning “pretty” in Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian.
25. Liz – A short variant of Elizabeth meaning “pledged to God” in Hebrew.
26. Lua – This sparkling pick among short names for girls means “moon” in Portuguese.
27. Luz – A well-known Spanish name meaning “light.”
28. Lyla – An Arabic short girl name meaning night.
29. Mel – A short girl name derived from Melanie, meaning “dark” or “black.”
30. Min – A peculiar Chinese name meaning “quick.”
31. Nia – Of Swahili origin meaning “resolve” or “brilliance.”
32. Noor – The prettiest Arabic name for your tiny star, meaning “light!”
33. Page – A French name meaning “page” or “attendant.”
34. Pia – A short name full of Latin flair meaning “pious” or “devout.”
35. Reba – This rare Hebrew name means “fourth.”
36. Reva – Is a simple Hindi short name for girls meaning “rain.”
37. Rory – A unisex Irish pick meaning “red king.”
38. Tai – An adorable Chinese girl name meaning “great extreme.”
39. Tea – A short Greek female name meaning “gift of God.”
40. Tia – A Portuguese and Spanish girl name for “aunt.”
41. Ula – Has a dreamy, magical appeal, meaning “gem of the sea” in Celtic.

FAQs