Two Syllable Names for Girls

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.

In the Noongar language of Western Australia, Bindi means butterfly. Bindi is usually seen as a girls' name, as seen in Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin.

Walker is an outdoorsy, Old Western-style name that leapt into the US Top 100 for boys back in 2022. Now, like a number of occupational names before it (think Sawyer, Palmer, and Parker), Walker is being used for an increasing number of girls.

Some parents, including rapper Ludacris, are literally bestowing good karma on their children; it could just join the new spiritual name congregation.

Because of its meaning, this is a symbolic name given to girls born on Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.

Kaiya reached a peak of Number 652 in 2002. This spelling performs worse than its sisters Kaia and Kaya, and it likely creates more pronunciation confusion.

The J spelling of this nickname name has always skewed more masculine, perhaps because it relates directly to Jerome but not to Geraldine. But supermodel Jerry Hall, whose full name is Jerry and who has a twin sister named Terry, pulls it off in glamorous style.

This spelling is more unisex than either Luca or Luka, perhaps because it is also an Italian city name. However, it fell for both genders in 2021, as the Disney movie Luca sent that spelling skyrocketing.

This sweet and simple name has origins in both Yiddish and Slavic, each with an equally appealing meaning.

Zsa Zsa is a zippy Hungarian nickname name, sometimes used independently, linked for decades with the Hungarian-born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor--who was born Sari.

An implied spiritual meaning makes this a plausible new name.

Gugu is derived from the word igugu, meaning "treasure." It's commonly used as a nickname for Gugulethu.

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

Sanem debuted on the US charts in 2021 thanks to the Turkish soap opera Erkenci Kus, which was broadcast on Spanish television stations in the US the year before. The TV show follows a woman named Sanem, whose parents force her to choose between an arranged marriage or landing a good job.

An eider is a sea duck with extra soft feathers as well as a Basque name with a lovely meaning. Eider is one of the fastest-rising boys' names below the Top 1000. Though theoretically unisex, no baby girls were given the name in 2023.

Hebrew name related to Ronit and Roni, also used in different cultures as Ronya, Ronja, and Roniya. Virtually unknown in the English-speaking world though certainly an easily-translatable choice.

Sweet old-school nickname name currently trending for boys in the UK, but could also be short for Alba, Alberta or Albertine.

Tallie is a seldom-heard nickname name that, with the ascendance of Hallie and Callie, we might just be hearing more of.

Marty and Martie are old-fashioned gender-neutral nickname names, boyish nicknames not heard much since the middle of the last century. That could change, though, with the rise of vintage boyish nicknames for girls. They have a certain charm and may come back into style along with mother names such as Martha.