Two Syllable Names for Girls

This grandpa-esque nickname traditionally short for masculine names like Osmond, Oscar, or Oswald is starting to get traction on its' own — both for boys and girls.

The African tradition of day naming—giving a child a name inspired by the day, time, or season in which they were born—has become attractive to Western parents as word names increase in use. Midnight is a relatively new addition to the pool—it was used as a middle name by Nicole Richie and Joel Madden for their son in 2009.

As the former stage name of TLC founder Perri Reid and the name of the youngest member of the animated Flintstones clan, it's got some pop culture cache. But it'll be too cutesy by half for most parents.

We'd prefer to stick with the more-familiar Cadence and avoid the overly trendy Kay- prefix.

See TERRY.

Esfir is a warm and traditional Russian name that derives from Esther. It might appeal to parents with Russian ancestry or those looking for a rarer alternative to Esther.

Trapped somewhere in the nether region between Haddie and Catie, with the added confusion of sounding like someone who works on a golf course. Caddie Woodlawn was a TV heroine of the Old West in the 1980s. Caddie had its moment, but we don't see it becoming one of the more popular girl names starting with C.

Finlay is a Scottish royal name (it belonged to Macbeth"s father) that was revived by several celebrity parents. Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, Daniel Baldwin and Lisa Marie Presley all did a gender switch on Finlay when they named their daughters Finley.

This cosmological name is given to a handful of boys and girls each year in the USA. Likely to get confused with Stella, but definitely edgier and likely to start a conversation.

A pan-European variant of Bertha and nickname for -berta ending names, such as Alberta and Roberta. It's certainly much more appealing than its predecessor, but unlikely to become a hit in the US anytime soon.

Also spelt Sebele, this soft-sounding name means "harvest" in the Amharic language of Ethiopia.

Toni Tennille was one half of the musical group Captain & Tennille, which produced a number of huge hits in the 1970s, including "Love Will Keep Us Together."

The feminine Quinta is virtually unused in the US, though male forms of the Roman family name Quintus, such as Quintin and Quentin, are quite popular. That may change with the emergence of comedian and actress Quinta Brunson, creator of the television show Abbott Elementary.

Affable and creative and perfectly able to stand alone; nothing Scroogish about it.