Two Syllable Names for Girls

Putting an accent on it, as Willa Cather did in her famous novel, would endlessly confuse the waters for a young girl. The name is every bit as lovely and distinctive as simply Antonia.

See RILEY.

Not quite Beatrice or Letitia, but Leatrice still has a gently old-fashioned charm of its own, a kind of silent movie star aura, as in one of the top actresses of that era, Leatrice Joy. Largely due to her popularity, Leatrice was in the Top 1000 from 1922 to 1943, reaching a high of 350 in 1927.

A cutesy Hawaiian name with a pretty meaning.

It's a beautiful burnished metal -- but also slang for policeman.

According to Buddhist eschatology, Maitreya is next great Buddha who will appear on Earth, following Gautama Buddha. Though this messianic figure is usually (if not exclusively) depicted as a male, the name sounds distinctly feminine to Western ears. It's quite a heavy mantle to lay on a child, though with far less subtle names, such as Messiah, Royalty and Savior, on the rise, that may be waning as a cause for concern.

The name of the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses in the Old Testament. Yocheved was also the name of one of the three daughters of the medieval Talmudic scholar, Rashi.

Smooth and evocative, but not very namelike.

Sarai is an ancient Hebrew name — the original name of Sarah in the Old Testament — but the Saraiyah elaboration brings it well into the 21st century. Saraiyah was first recorded among the national data in 2007.

Too much teasing potential for an English speaker.

Variation of Maeva.

Modernized spelling not enough to revive Karen.

Unusual, serious, no-nonsense occupational surname that could be borrowed from the boys.