Two Syllable Names for Girls

A beautiful ancient Welsh name, the meaning of which is not entirely clear. It has been linked to the Welsh for salty, hallt or halenaidd. The "th" sound at the end is pronounced like the first sound of "then" (rather than "thin").

A little bit Isla, a little bit Elowen. Also the Kentucky-based heroine of a 2018 novel by Gwen Kaelin.

Hawaiian teen prodigy Auli'i Cravalho burst onto the scene as the star of Disney's animated "Moana" in 2016, bringing this distinctive name to the forefront. The glottal stop, or "okina," between the two I's makes it a somewhat tough sell off the islands, though Cravalho's stunning performance of "How Far I'll Go" at the 2017 Oscars is almost winning enough to overcome that.

Diminutive of Roberta, and a famous surname via actress Margot Robbie.

Nerio was one of the Roman goddesses of war and a wife of Mars. Her name is among the many intriguing names that mean strong.

An offbeat approach to Bella. Also a Yiddish form of Bilhah, one of the four women who gave birth to the tribes of Israel.

Ulrike and its Anglicized form Ulrica were given to exactly zero baby girls in the US last year, while their masculine form Ulrich was used for a dozen baby boys. U is the least common first initial for baby names in the US, making Ulrike extra unique. Ulrich and variations is German and means "rich and noble heritage".

Walker is an outdoorsy, Old Western-style name that leapt into the US Top 100 for boys back in 2022. Now, like a number of occupational names before it (think Sawyer, Palmer, and Parker), Walker is being used for an increasing number of girls.

Iram of the Pillars is a lost city mentioned in the Quran — it's been adapted as a baby name among Muslim families.

Projects the calm and pristine image of the picturesque Swiss lake and mountain town.

Variation of Channah and Hannah. Making multiple appearances in the US popularity charts during the latter portion of the twentieth century, Chana has now remained in the Top 1000 since 2008.

Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.

This feminine version of the Basque name Edur is quite well used in Spain, where it has often been in the Top 100. Plus it offers some great nickname options such as Eddie or Deedee. One of the names for winter babies that's off the snowy track.

A sweet Cornish word name with a celestial meaning.

Malli is one of those simple-yet-unusual names that are intrinsically fascinating. In the US last year, only seven baby girls were named Malli.

Gentry is a word name that's gaining ground for girls as a kind of updated Jennifer, especially in the Jentry (or Jentri or Jentree) spelling.

This Indian name with a Slavic sound definitely has potential.

Jentry is an upwardly-striving word name that's gaining ground for girls as a new spin on Jennifer or Jenna. If classy is what you're after, a name with a genuine pedigree would serve you better. Others spellings -- Jentri, Jentree, Jentreigh -- abound, presumably for parents who want to use the short form Jen or like Gentry but prefer girl names starting with J..