One Syllable Names for Girls

This sweet little acronym, popularized in the age of texting, has established itself as a baby name. The similarity to Ivy, Isla and Riley/Miley has undoubtedly played a role.

Some sources say Mele is a South Sea Islander form of Mary, but it's also a name in its own right meaning song.

You can call your baby "babe," but don't name her that.

Unless you're making an intentional homage to the Maya civilization, the traditional spelling Maayan will prove less confusing.

The two meanings of this name are spelled slightly differently in Vietnamese: Phường means "way, direction", and Phượng means "phoenix". Phoenix in this case refers to the mythological creature known as the Chinese phoenix or the Fenghuang.

A unisex Japanese name, with a variety of meanings depending on which kanji combinations are used. It is often said to mean "aster", giving it a botanical tie, and a link to remembrance based on the symbolism of the aster flower.

This name boomed in the 1940s and 50s thanks to the glamorous singer Risë (pronounced REE-sa) Stevens, who inherited her name from her Norwegian grandmother. It's rare nowadays, but when used it's more likely to be the uplifting vocabulary word, rhyming with "eyes". The latter was chosen by Nick Cannon and Brittany Bell for their son, born in September 2022.

This Dutch version of Jules is used for both girls and boys. The association with the vaping product of the same name (but different pronunciation) makes this one a no-go in the US.

The legendary St. Non was the mother of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. David was raised in a convent by his mother and went on to become a great teacher and bishop. Non is also known as Nonna and Nonita, and is associated with Cornwall and Brittany along with Wales. While the name Non is well-used in Wales, it is largely unknown in the US and maybe be heard as the negative word "none" or prefix "non".

Traditionally a short form for Italian names such as Fiorella and Fiorenza, Fio could easily be put directly on the birth certificate today.

Xen might also be a minimalist reduction of Alexandra.

The name of a bird native to New Zealand, which has a distinctive call and can even learn to mimic human speech and other sounds. Tui was one of the Top 20 most popular Maori names given to girls in NZ in 2018.

Keke is a multicultural double-punch nickname, notably borne by actress Keke Palmer. Palmer was born Lauren Keyana, yet her nickname does not derive from her middle name — her older sister had an imaginary friend named Keke.

Most people are likely to associate the name Chai with tea, but it's also a Chinese surname and Hebrew masculine name.

The video game series Soulcalibur features a female character named Chai.

This spin on the popular Hannah is widely-used in Europe and pronounced similarly to Hannah. It may also be a short form of Johanne, from John/Joan.

Naz was a common name for girls in Turkey in the 2000s. In the US, it may be used as a nickname for names such as Nazareth and for boys, Nazir.

Cloe comes in second to the original form, Chloe, in it's native Spain. In the US, this honor goes to the Kardashian-ized Khloe.

Ten times as many boys are named Oak as girls: about 50 boys last year to five girls. Of course, nature names don't have any traditional gender identification the way names like John and Mary do, so Oak works well for all babies. Oakley is the most popular Oak name for babies of all genders.

Jules may be hot in France, but the Jools spelling is almost as familiar in the UK and US, thanks to celebrity bearers Jools Holland and Jools Oliver. Jools is a unisex name.