Two Syllable Names for Girls

Less well known internationally than Saoirse, but equally appealing, Saorla is also spelled Saorlaith or Saorfhlaith.

German feminine form of the German and Nordic male name Sven, which comes from the Old Norse byname Sveinn, meaning "boy". Svenja was particularly popular in Germany in the late 80s and early 90s, peaking at #10 in 1991.

Makes the intriguing Olga even more so.

Quentin, an offbeat name with lots of character, relates to the Latin for the number five and is by far the subtlest and most usable of the Latin birth-order names, and makes a classy addition to the short list of wearable "Q" names. It was borne by a third-century saint and came to England with the Normans.

A vocabulary word used as a name in many Slavic countries, Iskra means "spark" or "sparkle". It was the name of a revolutionary communist newspaper founded by Lenin in 1900. A famous modern bearer is English model Iskra Lawrence.

Glenys, like Glynis, is a Welsh name that has never caught on outside Wales.

Long before the current place-name craze, a pair of the more daring pop singers of the Age of Aquarius picked this name for their daughters. Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick used the conventional spelling, the Mamas and the Papas's Michelle Phillips went further afield with Chynna (of the group Wilson Phillips).

Cute and short name that sounds right on trend with it's V sound.

Alyssa Milano's character on the soap opera Mistresses was Savannah, called Savi.

Fanya might make an international and unusual short form for the classic Frances, or could stand as a full name on its own. Definitely classier than Tanya but with the same Eastern European flavor.

A zingy nickname-style name that was used occasionally in the early twentieth century, and returned to the charts in 2020. There are no obvious names it could be short for, which is all the more reason to use it on its own. In Kate Manning's historical novel My Notorious Life, the character Annie Muldoon gets the nickname Axie because she "axes" so many questions.

This French name meaning goddess is a possible Gallic import in the Celine mode.

Most modern parents would drop the Jo, leaving the superpopular Ella.

Keelin is a form of Keelan, the Anglicized phonetic form of Caelan or Caoilinn, said to be a unisex name but in practice used almost exclusively for boys. Girls would more often be called Keela, Keeley, or Keely.

Place names can be a nod to your cultural heritage or a commemoration of a favorite destination. Scotia comes from the Latin name for Scotland, which may be a perfect fit for a family of Scottish heritage if Scotland feels too on-the-nose. Caledonia is another possibility, used by the Romans for the land north of Hadrian's Wall in England, which marked the upper boundary of the Roman Empire. And Nova Scotia (meaning "new Scotland") is also the name of a Canadian province.

The graceful Indian Suria or Surya may remind Americans more of little Miss Suri Cruise than of the pantheon of Hindi gods and goddesses.

Has a decidedly middle-aged image.