Two Syllable Names for Girls

Commonly heard in Israel, but a rare choice elsewhere.

The Polish form of Ruth has mostly been lost outside of Poland, but though rare, it can still be heard in Polish and Eastern European communities. Ruta has only ever appeared on Illinois' state data, due to Chicago's large Polish population. With Ruth now on the ascent, Ruta may be worth rediscovering.

A Scandinavian short form of Johanna, properly pronounced with a Y sound at the start, but would likely be read as the more prosaic "John-a" in an English-speaking context.

Allium is the genus of all onion-y plants, including garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives. It makes an intriguing nouveau nature name or update to Allison.

The Puritans used it as a virtue name -- but today it would just be considered weird: silence is no longer golden.

Delwen appears to be a modern invented name in Welsh, deriving from two common name components: del - meaning pretty and wen - meaning fair/white. Similar names include Delyth, also Welsh, and Elowen, which is Cornish.

Related to the better-known Arabic name Noor.

Clelie or Clélie is the French form of the interesting and little-used Roman name Clelia.

The ie ending injects this late 20th century favorite with a bit of late 19th century charm. But not quite enough to make it a good 21st century choice.