Two Syllable Names for Girls

Commonly associated with Chinese supermodel Liu Wen.

Variant of Corinne

The German name for girls Wylda was introduced to the world by British filmmaker/artist, director of Fifty Shades of Gray Sam Taylor-Wood and her actor husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who named their daughter Wylda Rae. Is that Wylda, which rhymes with Hilda, and might be found inhabiting a sod hut on the Kansas prairie in 1901? Or Wylda, sister of Wilder, destined for a future as a hell-raising singer in a rock band?

Moria was a nymph, sister of Tylus, who played a role in a very complicated story involving a serpent and a life-giving plant. It sounds like and will often be mistaken for the name Mariah, as in Carey.

Most modern parents would probably prefer the cooler Rowan.

Appropriate for a girl born between late September and late October, Libra suggests both balance and freedom.

An anagram of Mama, in tune with its Tamil meaning.

The old word name Temple has gained some recent notice as a girls' name via admired autistic writer and inventor Dr. Temple Grandin (born Mary Temple), subject of an acclaimed biopic, in which she was played by Claire Danes.

Pretty and strong, Zeynep is one of the most popular girl names in Turkey, where it has ranked in the Top 10 for more than 40 years — half of which it has spent in the very top spot. Familiar in The Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and France, Zeynep is related to the Arabic Zaynab which is well-used throughout the Muslim world.

All baby names can be made more "creative" by putting a Z at the beginning instead of what's conventionally there: B or C or H, for instance. Zaley is an adorable entry in this group, also spelled Zailey or Zayley or Zalee. The Zaley spelling attains a measure of authenticity when seen as a feminine form of Zale, a Greek name with an ocean-related meaning.

Pronounced like Evie, this sweet Irish nickname may be a variant spelling of the English name, or a short form of Aoibhe or Aoibhín.

Not, in fact, a spelling variation of Hazel (although it could be used as such). But Hazal is also a nature name — it refers to the dried, fallen leaves of Autumn.

This Irish Gaelic name would be more accessible in other cultures in its modern Dervla form.

A Dorothy nickname name with a measure of nostalgic charm. Kids will associate it with the funny fish character voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in the Pixar animated instant classic Finding Nemo.

Sounds just like its cognate Estelle, but with a more streamlined spelling.