Two Syllable Names for Girls

The protagonist of Toni Morrison's novel, the simple-yet-sensual Sula relates to the Old Testament Shulamit. Alternatively, it might be a short form of Ursula.

Sometimes spelled Emer and pronounced "EE-mer," the legendary wife of Cuchulainn possessed the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, wisdom, chastity, and needlework. A fresh alternative to Emma, but the two have the potential to be frequently confused.

Crescent is an intriguing word name with a pretty sound and links to the moon. Cressie could make for a cute nickname, as used in the Worst Witch children's TV series, short for Crescentmoon.

Hedda is a card-carrying member of the league of older, slightly bohemian urban names like Nedda, Andra, and Petra; also linked to Ibsen heroine Hedda Gabler, as well as being the basis of cruel joke names like Hedda Hare.

A goddess of childbirth in Latvian mythology. She is known to be the patroness of all feminine duties as well as economic activity, like money and markets.

Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola.

Breton cognate of Angela, from Breton ael "angel".

A popular choice right now in Japan, where it recently ranked in the Top 10.

Colorful, yes, but also probably among the hippiest of hippie names. Holly Madison recently chose it for her little girl.

Promise is one of those word names with an uplifting meaning that is making inroads as a girls' name, like sisters Dream and Serenity. How promising is Promise as a first name? Our try at cleverness illustrates perhaps the biggest problem with naming your baby girl Promise: It will be difficult for people to resist making bad puns on the name. We promise (argh) you'll be tired of hearing them well before your baby Promise's first birthday.

An English transcription of Arabic Safaa or Safaa', popular among Muslim parents in the UK. As-Safaa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca.

Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.

Though associated with a French saint noted for her holiness and strength of character, this name is somewhat dated and it might be better to look to one of the more modern names popular for little girls in France today: Oceane, Lea, Manon.

Arlet's is in the Top 100 in Spain, and this love is carrying over into the states as well, with Arlet being among the fastest-rising names of 2022. Related name Arleth is also red-hot, and was one of the fastest rising of the previous year in 2021, likely due to Telenovela star Arleth Teran. Arlet is also a character in the hit show "Infidels."

Though still being used, Deanna peaked many decades ago.

An appealing name almost unknown in our culture but with roots in several others; worldlier than cousins Celia and Delia.

Mavi is a gender-neutral Turkish name with a colorful meaning and a trendy feel. Mavi is also the name of a jeans company. This is one we expect to hear more of.

Both Karla and Carla are sliding down the ranks, though Karla remains far more popular in the USA than Carla.

Fiora is a lost name that's now been found, a sleeker version of the antique Fiorella. There's an Italian river called the Fiora as well as a character in the video game League of Legends: Fiora is known in that game as "The Grand Duelist".

Elif is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph.