One Syllable Names for Girls

  1. Lua
    • Origin:

      Portuguese
    • Meaning:

      "moon"
    • Description:

      Properly spelled Luã, this is a light and bright alternative to mega-popular Luna, with the same celestial meaning. Lua is also an attractive choice for tech-heads, with Lua being a popular programming language.
  2. John
    • Mieke
      • Origin:

        Dutch variation of Marie
      • Meaning:

        "bitter"
      • Description:

        A Dutch version of Marie - this is a cute name that has potential.
    • Cia
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Cynthia
      • Description:

        What's Cia short for? Cynthia or most any other C-name. Stylish in its sleek Mia-Nia minimalist feel, but may remind some of the Central Intelligence Agency.
    • Zion
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "highest point"
      • Description:

        A Biblical place name that's one of the rising unisex baby names for both girls and boys. It's got an uplifting feel and that zippy Z beginning. Zion is an alternate name for Jerusalem and is used as a nationalistic pro-Israel movement known as Zionism. The name has gained popularity after being used by celebrities including Lauryn Hill and Fantasia Barrino.
    • Éala
      • Origin:

        Irish, modern invented name
      • Description:

        This name, which is rising for baby girls in Ireland, looks very like the Irish word for swan, eala ("AL-la"), but the accent on the É changes the pronunciation to "EH-la". Instead, it's likely to be a gaelicized spelling of Ayla, which is popular internationally.
    • Dia
      • Origin:

        Mbama, Sanskrit, Latin, and Spanish
      • Meaning:

        "love; lamp; heavenly; day"
      • Description:

        A sweet and simple multicultural choice which has several different meanings and origins.
    • Sean
      • Origin:

        Irish variation of John
      • Meaning:

        "God is gracious"
      • Description:

        Sean may be off its peak for boys, but there were still 1300 baby boys named Sean in the US in the most recent year counted, versus only five baby girls. In fact, there were fewer than 30 baby girls given the spellings Sean, Shaun, and Shawn combined. So while this name has been long used for girls, it remains in only occasional use as a feminine name and is not truly unisex in the way that names such as Rory and River are.
    • Roan
      • Origin:

        Variation of Rowan, Irish and Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "little redhead"
      • Description:

        This variation of Rowan, which is also a color name rhyming with Joan, is more popular for boys than girls, as are the other variations of the name. Rowan is the most popular spelling of the name for both genders, followed by Rowen, and then there's Rohan, Rohen, and so on.
    • Chase
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "to hunt"
      • Description:

        Chase is starting to be seen on a handful of girls each year, and has been heard as a nickname to Chelsea.
    • Puck
      • Origin:

        Literary name
      • Description:

        Puck, the mischievous sprite of Shakespeare, is a unisex name given more often to girls in The Netherlands and is also the name of one of the moons of Uranus, discovered in 1985 and named Puck for the Shakespearean figure.
    • Via
      • Origin:

        Nickname name
      • Description:

        Could be a short form of Sylvia, Olivia, or any other similar name. Or a vivid Italian word name.
    • Eri
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "loving reason; blessing + reason; hometown blessing; picture + pear"
      • Description:

        Short and sweet Eri is a common female name in Japan that could cross cultures quite easily.
    • Nim
      • Origin:

        Modern invented name
      • Description:

        Australian writer Wendy Orr put this name on the map with her hit Nim's Island" series of children's books, about a smart young girl who lives on an island in the South Pacific. Abigail Breslin played Nim in a 2008 film adaptation of the book.
    • Grainne
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "grain or love"
      • Description:

        Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a heroine of the seas.
    • Ita
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "thirst"
      • Description:

        The name of one of the most famous medieval Irish saints, who was known as "the foster-mother of the saints," and founded a nunnery in the county of Limerick. Might be of interest to someone looking for an unusual 3-letter name.
    • Blaire
      • Origin:

        Spelling variation of Blair
      • Description:

        Blair with a little something extra, though that's hardly needed.
    • Áine
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "brilliance, wit"
      • Description:

        Name of a fertility goddess said to confer luck on its bearer, though to avoid confusion you may want to use the phonetic spelling Anya or Enya.
    • Rua
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "red"
      • Description:

        This Anglicized form of the Irish Ruadh is traditionally male, but has a unisex feel — in fact, Rua was given to a handful of girls in recent years, but not enough boys to make the charts.
    • Emi
      • Origin:

        English or Japansese
      • Meaning:

        "rival; beautiful favor, beautiful picture"
      • Description:

        As an English nickname, Emi can be short for anything beginning with (or containing) the popular "em" sound, such as Emily, Emilia, or maybe even Clementine.