'auklet' originates from English, specifically from the noun 'auk' plus the diminutive suffix '-let' (from Old French '-let'), where 'auk' ultimately comes from Old Norse 'alka'.

'auk' changed from Old Norse 'alka' into Middle English forms and became the modern English 'auk'; the diminutive form 'auklet' was formed in Modern English by adding the suffix '-let'.

Initially, it meant 'a small auk' (a diminutive of 'auk'), and over time it has retained this meaning as the name for small species of auks.