Two Syllable Names for Girls

Not most people's favorite day, but a pretty name.

Sleek and sophisticated.

Sources say that Bina, which is close to the word for bee in Yiddish, was once used as a translation for the Hebrew Deborah, which means bee. On its own, it also means "understanding" in Hebrew. Simple and sweet in itself, it could also be short for (or a nod to) many names including Sabina, Robina, Columbina, and Jacobina.

One of the jewel names in use a hundred years ago, due for revival along with sisters Ruby and Pearl.

Name of a town in Scotland that has a feminine strength.

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.

Sweet, contemporary, and with a hint of magic, Emryn is a new addition to the US Top 1000. Combining that popular 'Em' beginning of Emma and Emily, the sounds of Erin and Evelyn, and the vibes of Elowyn, Bronwen and Wren, Emryn is fun, quirky, and currently cool.

Rayen is well-known in Chile, and sometimes seen in the Netherlands, as a Mapuche girls name meaning flower. This name could be an alternative to people who like Ryan but want to keep it as a boys name or as a spunkier alternative to other names that mean flower, such as Fleur and Flora.

Omitting the extra R of Forrest transforms the name from a masculine one referencing woodsmen to a unisex nature name.

Leto is the titaness of motherhood (there's a title!) and, with Zeus, mother of the twin Olympians Artemis and Apollo. Simple, sleek, and unique, Leto is one mythological name for girls we might expect to hear a lot more of.

Variously spelled trendy name in the 1970s that hasn't even been in the Top 1000 in a decade.

The Jodie spelling might be even more obscure, at this point, than the fading original, except actresses Jodie Foster and Jodie Sweetin have kept it in the public eye.

A key cheerleader in the nickname game of the 1970s, Stacy is now the mom. Consider Stacia, or the original Anastasia.

A cute and easily accessible Finnish nickname, although not one that is likely to become popular in America now that Hannah and co are on the decline.

Semaj is part of a special club of names created by spelling other names backward (meet the president, Nevaeh). Semaj is a reversal of James and is used primarily for boys. But ever since James became fair game for girls, so did Semaj — it's now unisex in usage.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan.

A name made most famous by the operetta The Merry Widow which features "The Vilja's Song". A vila is a woodland spirit or fairy in Slavic mythology. Vilja also means "grain" in Finnish and "will, intent" in Swedish, and is very popular as a girls' name in Scandinavia, ranking in the Top 100 in both Finland and Norway.