Two Syllable Names for Girls

A traditional name still used in Orthodox families. Rivka is the original form of Rebekah or Rebecca, today used far more widely than the original. Rifka is a variation.

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

If you're ready to move beyond Anna and Hannah, consider this traditional Scandinavian short form of Susanna, historically very popular in its native lands.

With the sprightly "Ren" and "Wren" currently in fashion, and "ley" a productive suffix to create new names, this combination was inevitable, and is chirpy and appealing. Renley has been on the US charts for girls since 2012, and for boys since 2013. It probably got a boost from the Game of Thrones character Renly Baratheon, albeit with a slightly different spelling.

A light, bohemian-sounding biblical name, mentioned in the bible as a wife of Lamech, one of the first men.

With the recent arrival of fruit names like Apple and Plum, this more traditional example, symbolic of fertility, might rise in popularity. Photographer Berry Berenson was born Berinthia.

This centuries-old nickname feels fresher and more modern today than Susie or Sue. A good short form if you're tempted by Susan, Susanna, or Susannah; another spelling is Sukey.

Amy was a 1970s favorite, and French spelling Aimee peaked in the same decade.

Ethereal combination of Arden and Edith, with a sweet naturey meaning.

One of the warm and earthy Russian nickname names now coming into style. Denzel Washington gave his daughter the Katia spelling.

A sweet little name with one of the most poetic meanings around: it means "warmth from the sun" in Welsh. Though it's among the undiscovered Welsh names, it's one that deserves wider use.

A Disneyfied name: Faline was the sweet doe Bambi fell in love with.

A unisex name, Rylan plays on many popular baby names, including Ryan and Riley. For boys, the trendy Rylan rose from its entry to the US Top 1000 in 1997 all the way up to Number 146 in 2011, though it has since declined. For girls, the name is a more recent entrant, debuting on the list in 2009.

Officially a shortening of the traditional and tricky Gaelic Fionnghuala/Fionnuala, Nuala makes a lovely choice all on its own. Nuala is well-used in Ireland.

Sela is a Biblical place name, the original term for the city of Petra, which is finding new life through actress Sela Ward, star of several TV series. The young daughter of singer Lauryn Hill is named Selah, pronounced the same but with a different derivation and meaning. Found among early African-American enslaved people, it was sometimes spelled Cela or Cella.

Anais, the name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin, is unusual and French enough without appending an e, though some may think it clarifies pronunciation.

Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.

Simple-yet-unusual name with a creative meaning. Actress Sanaa Lathan promoted it, and it was on the U.S. popularity list from 2003 to 2011. Shaquille O'Neal used it as the middle name of his daughter Amirah. And spelled Sana'a, it's the capital of Yemen.

Made famous in fifties movies as a wholesome backwoods gal, Tammy was a Top 10 choice from the mid-60s to early-70s, but is now given to fewer than 100 babies per year in the US.

Ariyah jumped into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, probably because some American parents see it as a creative spelling of the popular Aria or Arya. But it's also an authentic Hebrew name in its own right, a feminine form of the Biblical Aryeh, heard in modern Israel..