Two Syllable Names for Girls

Tippi is best known as the nickname of actress Tippi Hedren, star of Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie." Hedren's real name was Nathalie Kay; her father dubbed her Tippi. Although the name will inevitably be reminiscent of Hedren, it could make a cute short form for a name such as Tiffany or Philippa.

Rowan has been shooting up the charts on both the boys' and the girls' side, carrying the appeals of a trendy "o" vowel, a soft sound, and a nature connection to top it off. The modern variation Rowyn has followed in its footsteps and while the traditional spelling is used five times more often, Rowyn is still given to around 250 girls each year.

Variation of Jael.

A unisex name used in India with an upbeat meaning.

An anglicized spelling of Muirne, the name of the mother of Finn mac Cool in Irish legend, Myrna has a unique sound and two possible meanings, both of which are positive. Actress Myrna Loy was a notable bearer and her fame caused a spike in popularity of the name, when it reached the US Top 150 in the 1930s.

Chic in the fifties, now kept in the public eye mainly by actress Zellweger; today's parents seek more moderne Gallic choices.

Ersa, daughter of Zeus and the moon goddess Selene, is goddess of the morning dew, which may make this an excellent name for a child born in the early hours of the day.

Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a Frances short form or as an independent name.

Niko was used for 20 baby girls in the US last year, and twin sister Nico for another 30 -- though that's still far fewer than the 2600 baby boys who were given one of those two names.

A soft yet strong name coined by George Lucas for a princess character in the 1988 movie Willow, likely based on Irish names like Sorcha (SOR-ka, "radiant") or Saoirse (SEER-sha, "freedom").

One of the first reality show-inspired names (he was a Texas hunk on an early season of "Survivor"); hugely trendy for boys but just starting for girls.

While Sixtine is a name with ancient roots that's popular in modern-day France, it's hard to imagine it gaining hold in English-speaking lands, given its similarity to the number sixteen and its even-more-problematic similarity to the word "sexting." You wouldn't do that to your daughter.

Hendrix is an improbably trendy first name rising in honor of guitar great Jimi.

Yoadan is the Amharic form of the biblical name Jehoaddan — a queen of Israel. Yoadan debuted on the charts in 2021, likely due to Ethiopian influencer Yoadan Ephrem.

Gormlaith was the wife of the 11th century ruler of Ireland Brian Boru. The name is also used in Scotland. Despite its beautiful meaning, many will find the hard "gorm" sound too much to get past.

An attractive unisex choice heard in several countries, including Armenia. Can be pronounced sheer-IN or sheer-EEN.

Ailla is a name with many possible derivations, including Cornish (possibly meaning "beautiful"), French (deriving from Ailler, meaing Garlic), Finnish (related to Helga) and Turkish (where it may have a meaning connected to moonlight). None of these derivations are very clear; what is certain is that Ailla is a name with a beautiful sound and an international flavor.

Though it's close to the German and French form of Matthew, Mathis, this name of the great artist can work as well for girls.

Name of a town in Scotland that has a feminine strength.