Four Syllable Names for Girls

A genus of birds in the flycatcher family, Elaenia is one of the many unique baby names in the Elena family. But that spelling is sure to trip up some people.

A rare and picturesque floral name, elaborating on the popular Lily. Waterlilies symbolize peace and tranquility, and there's a lovely artistic association too, thanks to French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

In America, it is inextricable from the popular '90s line dance, but Macarena is a traditional feminine name in Spain. It is used in honor of the Virgin of Hope of Macarena, an epithet of the Virgin Mary. Macarena is also the name of a hip neighborhood in Seville.

The kind of feminized male name that never caught on.

Names ending in -lani have become so fashionable, people have taken up creating pseudo-Hawaiian names that emulate the sounds of the language (here's looking at you, Meilani). Mililani is at once on-trend, extremely rare, and authentically Hawaiian — the best of all worlds.

Messalina was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius, and a great-grandniece of Augustus. She was executed for allegedly conspiring against her husband.

Semiramis was the most important Queen of Assyria, who conquered much of Asia. Semiramis restored ancient Babylon and protected it with a high brick wall that completely surrounded the city. Then she built several palaces in Persia, reigned much of Asia Minor effectively and conquered Libya and Ethiopia.

This feminine name — simply "angel" imported into Māori phonology — is fresher than Angela and less Hollywood than Angelina.

A modern smoosh name that combines two of the most fashionable name sounds of the moment.

Frilly but undeniably beautiful. The meaning of Mary is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

A widespread name in Italy and Romania, the lovely Loredana is often claimed to have been invented by French author George Sand for a character in her 1833 novel Mattea. However, it also belonged to a 16th century Italian botanist, Loredana Marcello, known for developing treatments for various ailments. It probably derives from the Venetian surname Loredan, from the place name Loreo "laurel grove".

Place-name mentioned in the New Testament and not yet on the name map. Philadelphia Thursday was the character played by Shirley Temple in John Ford's 1948 "Fort Apache."

Esterelle, an antique relative of Estelle and Esther, is the name of a fairy in a medieval French legend who granted fertility and guarded pregnant women.

Belisama is a goddess in Celtic mythology often associated as the equivalent to the Roman Minerva and Greek Athena.

Himawari is the Japanese word for sunflower and modern word name. The most famous bearer is Himawari Akaho, a silver-medal-winning basketball player from Japan. Himawari is more frequently used as a character name, as in Himawari Uzumaki from Naruto and the anime series Himawari!