'bantam' originates from Malay/Indonesian, specifically the place name 'Banten' (also spelled 'Bantam'), a port on the island of Java from which small domestic fowl were exported to Europe.

'bantam' changed from the place name 'Banten' used by Portuguese and Dutch sailors into the English word 'bantam' referring first to the small fowl imported from that region and later extended figuratively to small, feisty people and as an adjective meaning 'small'.

Initially, it referred to the place 'Banten' and then to the small domestic fowl from there; over time it evolved into the broader modern senses of 'a small but spirited person' and 'small/diminutive'.