Two Syllable Names for Girls

This musical surname, associated with Bing Crosby and David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, & Nash could easily be used for girls, as names like Jagger and Bowie have been.

Adrian is an ancient gender-neutral name and Adri is its pan-European short form. Adriana is the most popular feminine form of the name in the US, followed by Adrianna, Adrienne, and then the unisex spelling Adrian. Adri works as a nickname for any of them.

A male character in The Chronicles of Narnia, but could conceivably be used for a girl.

Bizzy has a 1930s wisecracking waitress -- think Mitzi, Flossie, Fanny -- feel to it, yet at the same time feels like a fresh, modern nickname for Elizabeth. Given that any Bizzy better be, this name could be a way to make your Elizabeth stand out.

With its C spelling, Cayley is softer than its more popular counterpart, Kayley. It's never ranked in the US Top 1000 and at this point probably never will, now that the -aylee, -ayley, and -aylie names are starting to dip.

Corky is an old-fashioned nickname, historically used more often for boys with names like Courtney, Corwin, or surnames with the "cor" element.

The further you move away from the original Briana, the feminine form of Brian first used by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queen, the more invented and less authentic you get. But many parents want the distance from Brian as Breanna -- or Breana or Breeanna or any of the other variations -- feels more like its own name.

This Indian name with a Slavic sound definitely has potential.

This name originally comes from the wild and remote Shetland Islands. Although it bears a lot of similarities to the new darling of Scottish names Isla, it is nearly completely unknown.

Variant of Kathleen

This Cornish variant of Isolde is rare even in the UK - but that's part of its charm. Like Isolde, Eseld is generally thought to mean "ice battle", a meaning sure to be pleasing to a little girl in this age of all things "Frozen".

St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and her feast day on January 25 is the equivalent of Valentine's day in Wales. The short form Dwyn may be more manageable for the non-Welsh.

See DOLORES.

Virgil for a girl? Maybe, somewhere, someday....

Popular choice for silvery pets.

The Hellen spelling of this ancient Greek name refers directly to the Hellenes, another name for the Greek people. The mythological Hellen, related to the sun god Helios, was actually male, though there are no baby boys named Hellen in the US today.

Cute tomboyish diminutive that's popular in Germany but has not spread far. An interesting choice for the parent who wants an elaborate feminine proper name with a modern short form.