Two Syllable Names for Girls

Raga is musical, yes, but that 'rag' syllable worries us.

An ancient Roman name, lost to time.

Birgit is pronounced with a hard 'g' and is one of the many international versions of the Irish Bridget. Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish operatic soprano.

Selphie Tilmitt is a character in the popular video game Final Fantasy VIII. An orphan like the other main characters, she's described as upbeat, friendly, and energetic....though she wields a mean nunchuk. Given the name's resemblance to the photo term "selfie," this one is off the table, even for enthusiastic gamers.

Nedra was one of a phalanx of names -- Delma, Verda, Vernice -- popular in the late 19th and early 20th century that dropped out of fashion after World War II and now have disappeared completely. Like the others, Nedra is now extinct.

A phonetic variation of the Biblical Selah.

A positive name from mythology, given to the hope left in Pandora's box.

Shot to fame as the middle name of Brangelina's daughter Shiloh Nouvel, after French architect Jean Nouvel.

A modern invented name, possibly a variation on Ziola, which comes from Greek Zoilos meaning "lively". It appears in several songs by the band Jane's Addiction, inspired by the adopted name of a former girlfriend of one of the band members.

Majken, which is related to Maiken and Maike, is a popular name in Sweden whose variations are used throughout Scandinavia as cooler forms of Mary. Majken is virtually unknown in the U.S. and probably not bound for emigration.

Much more upscale and modern for a girl than a boy.

Turkish variant of Lale

A Hungarian name rarely heard outside its native culture.

Frostine, best known in the U.S. as the name of the Candyland queen, is newly fashionable in France and is certainly a choice that any little girl the world over would love. Fanciful, if over-the-top, but a perfect name for a winter baby girl.