Nannos as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nannos

What is the meaning of the name Nannos ?

The baby name Nannos is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈnan.os/ (Greek), /ˈnænos/ (English) — approx. NAH-nos or NAN-os.

Nannos is Greek in Origin.

Nannos is a Greek masculine given name (and more commonly a surname) shaped by the -os nominative ending. It most plausibly derives from Ancient Greek nānos “small; dwarf,” a descriptive byname that migrated into personal naming. The root also appears in classical onomastics: Nannō (Ναννώ) is the flute-girl associated with the poet Mimnermus in the 7th century BCE, showing the element’s early use in names. Latin nanus/nannus provides a close parallel, reinforcing the Mediterranean spread of this nickname-based formation.

Documented chiefly in Greece and Cyprus, Nannos occurs as a rare given name in modern and diaspora communities, with earlier attestations concentrated in surname records of the Ottoman and post‑Ottoman periods. Variants and related forms include Nanos (very common), Nannus (Latinized), Nanno (Italian/Greek transcription), and Nannis; feminine counterparts include Nanna and Nannou. The meaning centers on “small” or an affectionate “little one,” giving Nannos a compact, endearing character.

⚙ Nannos is a rare find. Across 8 countries, we found 18 recorded uses of it.