Two Syllable Names for Girls

Probably an offshoot of Deanna, lacking much identity of its own.

Betty alternative most frequently found in Hungary.

The names from which Meja derived, including Meinhild and Magnhild, are long gone, but a Swedish singer called Meja (born Anna Pernilla Torndahl) has piqued interest in this modern derivative. Meja is now a Top 100 name in Sweden.

While it is a familiar choice in West African countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon, Flourish has only been given to a handful of American baby girls in recent years. As lively virtue names like Verity and Reverie continue to thrive, we'd love to see Flourish, erm, flourish here in the States as well.

A vivacious Italian name; also a diminutive of Annunziata.

The Phillis spelling of this once-popular name lives on thanks to Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish a book of poetry, in the 18th century.

While we don't see many parents adopting Otter as a name for their own babies, Zooey Deschanel put this one in the lexicon when she used it as a middle name for her adorably-named daughter Elsie Otter. Even in the celebrisphere, Otter is one of the most unique baby names we've heard.

An epithet of Lord Vishnu in Hindu legend.

From an Arabic word meaning "girl".

Amoy is a perennially popular girl name in Jamaica, where it's purported to mean "beautiful goddess". Despite its ubiquity on the island, Amoy has never been given to more than 11 American baby girls in a single year.

Superseded by Lauren.

With a soft e, sounds like an affected pronunciation of Rita.

According to the Bible (and Quran), manna was the foodstuff miraculously provided for the Israelites in exile. This nourishing little name is one of the spiritual names that has seen a slight rise in recent years.

This feminine form of Arliss, is familiar via the recent HBO series. But why not just use Arliss?

A pretty halfway house between the modern name Ffion, which has been popular in Wales in recent decades, and the unrelated name Fiona.