Two Syllable Names for Girls

Sariah is the perfect compromise name for when you say Sarah, and your spouse says Mariah. Spelled Saria, it's a character in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

The Biblical Terah was male, but the name feels like it could work for either gender. In the Bible, Terah was the father of Abram, later Abraham.

Commonly heard in Israel, but here it could be an unusual way to honor Grandma Rose.

It may sound sweet smelling, but remember, it was the name of the little skunk in Bambi. Better to pick a single bloom from the bouquet, like Violet or Lily or Daisy.

A modern virtue name with ancient charm, Valor works well as it doesn't come up in everyday conversation all that often. Predominantly used for boys, Valor has been given to a slowly growing number of girls in the last decade, with 18 receiving the name in 2023.

Tenzan is a variation of Tenzin, a name with special significance for Buddhists, being the first name of the Dalai Lama.

Brighid is the original Gaelic form of the name of the mythological goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom. More commonly found these days in any number of different guises: Bridget, Brigid, Brigitte et al. Whatever form it takes, Brighid is one of the most classic and enduring Irish names for girls.

Thandi can be used independently or as a nickname for one of the Thand- starting names such as Thandeka or Thandiwe.

An energetic, charmingly retro nickname, Suzy and all her sisters are off their fashion peak but will rise again around the middle of this century.

Narine has been a top name in Armenia since records began in 2012. Even more common is its short form, Nare, which has ranked first each year with the exception of 2016.

See NATASHA.

I'm sure the parents of the six little girls named Sundae in the US last year were thinking, "well, if Nicole Kidman can use Sunday..." In this case, we think the day of the week spelling is preferable to the dessert spelling.

Nazia is a name seen in both Pakistan and India, which derives from the word naaz, meaning pride. It may be difficult to introduce this name into the West, given the first four letters, which is unfortunate given its lovely meaning. Nazia Hassan (a singer, lawyer and social activist) was probably the most famous woman with this name.

This strong Norwegian name war goddess name, commonly heard in both midcentury Norway and Iceland, has never ventured far beyond its native culture.

Variant of Marise

Lisa was one of the first names to spawn a range of variations, and this is one, sometimes pronounced lee-sha. The original is simpler and prettier.

Name of the enslaved girl in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo sounds more like a modern invention, though it's related to another time-honored literary heroine name: Haidee from Byron's "Don Juan."

Even though the pronunciation of Ceara and the more usual Ciara is KEER-a, most Americans would tend to mispronounce this spelling variation as Sierra.