15,000+ Two-Syllable Girl Names

Hot star Ashton Kutcher is pushing this unisex choice toward the boys' camp, but its variation Ashtyn is on the rise.

Although Amos is experiencing somewhat of a revival among baby boys, it feels even fresher when applied as a girl name.

In India, Shiva is an unambiguously male name; but in the middle east, Shiva derives from the Persian words for charm and eloquence, and is usually used as a female name.

Turkish form of Mary or Miriam, very popular in its homeland and, increasingly, in France too. The Turkish name for the Virgin Mary is Meryem Ana (or Meryemana).

The term for a female baker was Baxter, which ironically feels less appropriate for a baby girl than Baker itself. Josephine Baker was an American-born French entertainer, French Resistance agent, and civil rights activist.

Popular name in Japan in its own right, but also as a nickname for Miyako or Makiko.

Lissa might be an abbreviation of Melissa, but it's more substantial in its own right: Lissa is the name of a supreme mother goddess in African mythology and an Arabic symbol of rebirth.

The Shirley of the 1950s. Shelley Winters was born a Shirley.

This Cameron variation was popularized by actress Camryn Manheim and the character inTwitches of the same name. It also makes it more obviously feminine, which might appeal to some parents, considering the classic Cameron is a Top 100 choice for boys in the US.

Caitlyn is following all variations on the Irish classic Caitlin down the US baby name charts, following decades of popular usage. The original Anglicized form Kathleen is now starting to feel fresher than these more modern forms.

This obscure name found in Sinclair Lewis's 1923 novel Babbitt is a bit hipper than most other is-ending names like Janis and Doris. Some sources consider it a variation of Tanith, who is a Phoenician moon goddess and fertility figure, while others say it is a North American indigenous name from the Cree culture, meaning daughter. It may in fact have two separate derivations and meanings, but in any case is a lovely and unusual name.

Somewhat light and silly on its own.

Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas.

This version of Malia (as in Obama) peaked at Number 296 in 2009. Though Maliyah has lost ground since then, it's surprisingly enduring for a newly-fashion name whose pop culture connection was more than a decade ago.

Sweet old-fashioned nickname name that could make a comeback in the wake of Sadie et al. Famous bearers include author Dodie Smith, who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle.

Gilda, although related to the words gold and gilded, has definitely tarnished. It once shimmered with the seductive image of Rita Hayworth in the film Gilda, then was associated with the beloved early Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner. In opera, Gilda lives on as the name of the daughter of Rigoletto.

Tesla, the surname of Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla that has more recently been used as the brand name for an electric car, is gaining some use as a first name for girls. Exactly 100 girls were named Tesla in the U.S. last year. You might think of the name as a Tessa/Isla hybrid, though with Tesla the s is not silent. There was also a rock band named Tesla.

Eisele was originally a nickname for the Old German given name Isenhart, which derived from Isenlin — a nickname for a blacksmith.

Spelling of Rainey used by Andie MacDowell for her daughter, perhaps reflecting the ie ending of her own name. Rainey is the most popular spelling of the name, given to about 50 girls last year, with half as many called Rainy and a quarter named Rainie.