Two Syllable Names for Girls

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

The popular -leigh suffix is clearly an attempt to feminize this traditionally boyish nickname -- and it works. There were about 550 baby girls named Charleigh in the US last year -- and zero baby boys.

An old Irish surname cousin of Tierney that makes an unusual and appealing Irish gender switch.

Since it's also Spanish for "nothing," this name wouldn't be great for a girl's self-esteem.

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

Arleth has made the US Top 1000 twice — in 2005 and 2021 — thanks to telenovela star Arleth Terán.

An Italian word name that somehow feels incomplete in itself.

Sanni derives from Sanna, a variation of Susanna used in Scandinavia.

The Sirens in Greek myth were nymphs of half-woman, half-bird appearance who lured sailors to their deaths with their song.

Old fashioned nickname that some girls just might be able to pull off. You'd just have to be sure your little Fancy was one of them.

Kerris is a much easier if less authentic phonetic spelling of the popular and pretty Welsh name Cerys.

The nickname of Mrs. Al Gore (born Mary Elizabeth), bestowed because her favorite childhood lullaby was "Tippy Tippy Tin," should remain her exclusive property.

Part of a group of lovely A-starting names popular in Spain, along with Ainhoa and Aitana. Spanish actress Aroa Gimeno introduced this one.

The eponymous character of the fantasy novel Aurian by Maggie Furey. It may have been inspired by the Latin aurum "gold", or by names like Aurora ("dawn") or Aura ("breeze"), also derived from the Latin.

This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK, even less frequently in the US.

Ciri may sound exactly like the ubiquitous digital Siri, but it's achieving fame in its own right as the familiar name of Princess Cirilla of The Witcher series. The name's meaning is a nod to her royal status.

One of those casual down-home names last popular in the 1960s.