Two Syllable Names for Girls

The obscure yet not unappealing name of a legendary heroine of Rome. The ancient Clelia escaped an Etruscan invader by swimming across the Tiber River.

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

This Latin-sounding place-name, created by C. S. Lewis for his Chronicles, will undoubtedly be adopted by a few admiring parents.

Offbeat Anglicized form of the intractable Gaelic Rathnait.

Lionel is yet another traditional boy's name entering the girls' column--at least once-- via prizewinning novelist Lionel (born Margaret Ann) Shriver.

Names ending in son are by definition male, but that hasn't stopped Madison and Allison from being widely used for girls. Greyson is one of the latest choices to join the migration across gender lines.

Finja Is a Josephine nickname that ranks among the Top 100 girl names in Germany.

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

Technically a boy's name, but certainly one that would work in the Western culture for a girl, especially after the release of Black Panther, in which it was the name of Lupita Nyong'o's fiery character. Nakia lies outside the Top 1000 but is among the fastest-rising names for both girls and boys.

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.

Heidrun, which is occasionally used in modern Europe, was the name of a mythological goat who nibbled from the tree of life, transforming her milk into mead. You might think of Heidrun as a cross between Heidi and Gudrun, but there's a good reason this one's never caught on in the US: It's still stuck on that mythical Norse hillside.

This appealing Russian/Nordic name has been used a handful of times since Eowyn Ivey's novel The Snow Child was published in 2012. There, Faina is a mysterious girl who loves the cold Alaskan woods.

About as pared-down as Sophia can be.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.