15,000+ Two-Syllable Girl Names
- Reina
Origin:
Spanish, Yiddish or JapaneseMeaning:
"queen; pure; wise"Description:
An appellation for the Virgin Mary, "Queen of the apostles." After three years off the US popularity charts, Reina rejoined the list in 2014, though it lags behind alternate spellings Raina, Rayna, and Reyna. It is also used in Yiddish and in Japanese.
- Milo
Origin:
Latin and Old GermanMeaning:
"soldier or merciful"Description:
Milo is one of the top names for boys on Nameberry, and now it's used for an increasing number of baby girls too.
- Marlow
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"driftwood"Description:
An old English surname name that sounds just like the invented Marlo. Though the final w places it among the more buttoned-up androgynous baby names, all spellings of the name, which also include Marlowe, are gaining in popularity for girls.
- Frida
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"peace"Description:
The dynamic personality and paintings of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo have inspired growing numbers of parents to resurrect this form of the name. It does much better in certain European countries, especially in Denmark and Norway. The Frieda and Freida spellings were more popular in the US until the middle of the 20th century.
- Leda
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"happy"Description:
Leda is that rare name that has not yet been discovered in the current craze for ancient names from mythology. In classical Greek myth, Leda was a great beauty who mothered another great beauty, Helen of Troy. Leda is at once simple, deeply-rooted, and unique: Only 23 baby girls were named Leda in the US last year. A name used in several European countries, pronunciation is usually the straightforward lee-dah but the Italians say lay-dah.
- Taryn
Origin:
Irish, variation of TaraMeaning:
"rocky hill"Description:
Taryn is an offshoot of Tara that has a variety of meanings in a variety of cultures. In 1953, Taryn was presented to the public as an invention by actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian for their daughter's name, at which point it gained a short spurt of popularity. Taryn returned to the Top 1000 in 1974, peaking in the 1980s, and has remained on the list ever since.
- Vada
Origin:
English, Sanskrit, GermanMeaning:
"knowledge, rule"Description:
Vada is a feisty retro choice that feels like a fresh spin on the likes of Ava and Ada. Its bold V initial is bang on trend, although Vada remains very uncommon in the US. It is perhaps best known as the heroine of the 1991 cult classic coming-of-age movie My Girl, Vada Sultenfuss, played by Anna Chlumsky.
- Eila
Origin:
Hebrew, Norwegian variation of ElinaMeaning:
"oak tree; bright, shining light"Description:
Eila is a Hebrew name heard in Israel. The name also has roots in Finland and Norway, where it's derived from Elina, a variation of Helen, or from Aila, a form of Helga. Eila could gain attention as a cross-cultural name and fresh alternative to popular sound-alike choices like Ayla, Ella, and Isla.
- Elliot
Origin:
Anglicization of Elijah or EliasMeaning:
"Jehovah is God"Description:
Elliot is another traditional boy name used for girls", a trend led by political commentator George Stephanopoulos and his actress wife Ali Wentworth.
- Sawyer
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"woodcutter"Description:
Sawyer is one of the top unisex names, used for their daughters by such parents as Sara Gilbert, co-host of The Talk and former actress on Roseanne, currently on The Conners.
- Teddy
Origin:
Diminutive of Theodora, GreekMeaning:
"gift of God"Description:
Cute boyish short forms like Teddy and Frankie and Billie are in some ways a relic of the past, of the days before unisex names, when girls were given feminized versions of their father's names, but they are starting to come into their own again.
- Solene
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"with solemnity"Description:
Solene is a variation of Solange fashionable in recent years in France and a new hit name on Nameberry.
- Brigid
Origin:
Irish variation of BrighidMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
Brigid is the simpler Irish version of the name of the goddess of fire, which may also be spelled Brighid. Other variations include Bridget, the most usual spelling in the U.S., and the French Brigitte.
- Ashley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"dweller near the ash tree meadow"Description:
Ashley was a sensation in the 1980s and 1990s; it hit Number 1 in 1991. Ashley is still pretty but more and more parents are turning to newer names like Ashlyn and Aubrey, and spellings such as Ashleigh and Ashlea. If you hear the name Ashley in a playground today, it's more likely to be the mom than the little girl.
- Juna
Origin:
English, LatinMeaning:
"June"Description:
Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling girl names starting with J. While Juna has never been given to more than 50 baby girls per year in the US, it's a popular choice in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
- Malia
Origin:
Hawaiian variation of MaryMeaning:
"bitter"Description:
Malia rose up the charts back in 2009 when it was brought into the spotlight as the name of the Obama's eldest daughter. It leapt into the US Top 200, and while it hasn't reached that level of popularity again, it now sees steady usage, and is given to around 1100 girls every year.
- Julian
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"youthful or sky father"Description:
Some may think that the girls have enough variations of the ancient Roman emperor's name Julius of their own – from Julia to Juliet to Julianne – without using the usually-male Julian too. But Julian actually has a long history of use as a unisex name, and was considerably more popular for girls than boys in Medieval England. A famous female bearer is Julian of Norwich, an important medieval mystic and theologian whose work Revelations of Divine Love is the first book in English known to have been written by a woman.
- Cassie
Origin:
Diminutive of CassandraMeaning:
"prophetess"Description:
Though not much in use, still retains a cozy Little House on the Prairie-type pioneer feel.
- Solange
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"solemn"Description:
This is a soft, soignée French girls' namethat has become familiar here via singer Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce.
- Tillie
Origin:
English, diminutive of MatildaMeaning:
"battle mighty"Description:
A surprise recent hit revival with cutting-edge British, Tribeca and Malibu parents; Tillie, also spelled Tilly, is cute, frilly, and sassy all at once. Tilly is currently Number 90 on the England-Wales popularity list, joining such other Top 100 nickname names as Milly, Maisie, Kitty and Lottie. Tillie along with these other short forms transform proper names rooted in other cultures into true English names for girls.