Two Syllable Names for Girls

Although Malak can be used for both sexes, it's much more widely-used for girls in the US and throughout Europe, where it ranks on several popularity lists.

Surname-sounding unisex cousin of Peyton is gaining in popularity, especially for girls.

Yes, it's a word name, but Busy is also a rare pet form of Elizabeth. And yes, actress Busy Philipps was christened Elizabeth--she was given the nickname because she was such an active child. She must have been happy with the name, because she also gave her daughters adorable unique baby names, Birdie and Cricket.

Blaque is a clever -- or should we say qlever -- spelling variation of either the androgynous surname-name Blake, as in Gossip Girl, Lively, or Black, as in the color name. Either way, we prefer the original. Blaque -- an acronym for believing life achieving quest unity everything -- was also a late '90s R & B group and some people may choose the name Blaque to symbolize those qualities.

Mako is a name used for both genders in Japan, most notably for the granddaughter of the emperor who chose to leave the Royal Family to marry a commoner. It's a simple name that translates easily to English-speaking cultures, though many will try to pronounce the first syllable with a long a. Mako also means "shark" in Maori, and is the name of two shark species.

With geographical features like Savannah and Sierra and increasingly getting the baby-name treatment, could icy Tundra also see some use? It's only appeared six times on the Social Security rankings, all in the 1960s and 70s.

Ukrainian goddess known to be a temptress spirit. The Mavka is a long-haired figure said to lure men to their deaths

Trilby was used first for a character by French novelist Charles Nodier (1822) and made more famous by writer George du Maurier in an 1894 work. A Trilby hat, which Du Maurier's character wore, is a short-brimmed fedora of the kind recently revived by hipsters. Du Maurier's character Trilby fell under the hypnotic power of Svengali: not the best choice for an independent and self-determining daughter. Still, if you want a unisex name that moves far beyond the usual Taylor and Morgan and has energy and feminine verve, Trilby might well be your girl.

Raja is a widely-used Arabic or Sanskrit name that works for girls as well as boys. Five baby girls were named Raja and seven given the Rajah spelling in the US last year, where for boys the popularity of the spellings was reversed: 18 Raja to ten Rajah.

Sounding both tomboyish and feminine at the same time, this name is mostly associated with actresses Joely Richardson and Joely Fisher.

One Fergie was an aberration. But two women with that nickname -- the duchess and the Black Eyed Pea -- might make a trend.

Bright and pretty, resembling Aaliyah, Delilah, Amaya and Sarah, Sariyah is a celestial and stylish choice,

A short form of Alexandra and Alice used everywhere from Russia to Spain. A fresh alternative to Allie.