Two Syllable Names for Girls

Shreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi.

Berkeley, with an extra E, is the more familiar variation of this name, associated with the California school. But it's the streamlined Berkley that has proven itself to be more popular as a baby name, at least in the US.

Attractive and equally intriguing alternative to Katya.

Jeanie is a midcentury bobby soxer kind of nickname that might almost be so old it's new again.

Beautiful meanings no matter which origin you want to go with. But either way, it rhymes with Paris.

Theda is most famous as the name of silent film vamp Theda Bara. Today most fashionable little Theodoras and Theodosias are called Thea, but Theda makes an intriguing change.

Arda is a simple gender-neutral name with several possible origins and meanings. As a Turkish name, it's usually used for males and means scepter. There is also a river in Turkey called the Arda. The Hebrew name Arda means bronze. And Arda may also be a variation of the English Arden, the name of a magical Shakespearean forest.

Rira is a truly multicultural name with roots in four different languages. It's most common as a Japanese name, where it can be made up of various kanji combinations with meanings such as "good plum" and "easy pear." In French, it means "laugh."

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.

Lior connects with several factors stylish for Israeli names: It's short, it's unisex, and it has an uplifting nature theme. Lior might make a more modern spin on Leah.

An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.

The final n makes this choice infinitely more modern than Gail.

Related to Frida but with a softer sound, this name is Old Norse for "fair, beautiful"

A Norse goddess who was one of the nine mothers of Heimdall. Atli, the masculine form, is related to the popular Hungarian name Attila.

More common than the original Hawaiian Kalea.

Since this is strictly a male name in Slavic cultures, better to stick with the "Bella" spelling here.