Two Syllable Names for Girls

Slovene mini name that was once short for names like Doroteja and Mateja, but now is more popular independently.

Somewhat surprisingly, this old-school David nickname is now used for baby girls in the US more than 80% of the time. In fact, Davie is really heating up for baby girls, in the same style as Frankie and Scottie and Stevie.

Aryan and Arian are common names in Iran but in the US and much of the English-speaking world, the term Aryan has strong connections with white supremacy. It's a name best avoided.

Spelt with an acute accent on the final syllable in Spanish, Catalan and Hungarian (Betsabé) and without in Polish (Betsabe), this unusual name is a sleeker form of Bathsheba.

In the Bible, there is a reference to the Kerith Ravine, where God told Elijah to hide in order to be provided with water during a drought. There is also a Kerith in the James Michener novel The Source. A soft and gentle and very unusual addition to the category of biblical place names.

Bernie is an old school unisex nickname name, on the order of Bobbie or Willie. Not the most modern or most attractive name around, but it has a certain vintage charm.

Soriah is right in line with today's trends, with names like Zariah, Sariah, and Neriah rising quickly in the Top 1000. Soriah was only given to 53 baby girls in 2022, but had a significant jump from the year before.

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

Deriving from the ancient Greek name, Theokleia, Thekla is a contracted form that appears in the New Testament. According to the Acts of Paul, Thekla (or Thecla) is a 1st century saint and the first virgin martyr who angers her mother and her suitor by vowing to remain chaste after hearing Paul speak.

See NATASHA.

Alcie and Alsie are antiquated short forms that feel more baby-ready now that names such as Elsie, Elsa, and Isla are becoming popular again. Mother name Alcina was an operatic sorceress who turned men into trees and animals.

Merrill, once fairly common for males, is rarely used for girls (or boys either, for that matter) with this spelling. Chef Emeril Lagasse dropped the initial E from his name and called his daughter Meril.

Difficult name familiar here mainly via D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love.

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

Toby is an early unisex name with a Shakespearean pedigree; when used for a girl it retains its tomboyish quality.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday). Efia (also Afua) is the name for girls born on a Friday. (The male variant is Kofi)

Santa has an appealing sound, or maybe that's sleigh bells we hear? It's difficult to separate the Italian girls' name Santa from the association to Mr. Claus, king of Christmas. The German diminutive Senta -- or Snow or even Christmas -- might be an easier name to handle.

A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially in the Favour spelling.

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

The British love nickname-names, and Jorgie is one of those cute baby names for girls among the Top 1000 in the UK but rarely found in the US. It's cute in a retro way -- think the song and movie Georgie Girl -- but perhaps a bit too nouveau given the sultry classic beauty of longer forms Georgia, Georgina, and Georgiana.