Two Syllable Names for Girls

A name that works until your daughter is, say, six.

Five girls were given the name Perrine last year. More modern-sounding are Perrin, Perry, or even Petra.

Refers to one of the seven sacred rivers of India.

The name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld. There is also a dwarf planet in the outer solar system called 90377 Sedna, discovered in 2003 and named after the goddess because: "Our newly discovered object is the coldest, most distant place known in the Solar System, so we feel it is appropriate to name it in honor of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is thought to live at the bottom of the frigid Arctic Ocean."

A rarely used Biblical place-name with a soft and pleasant sound.

Combination of Mary and Ann which has been more popular than Marianne in recent years, although still below the Top 1000, after a peak in the 1940s.

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

Though we've gotten used to Hermione via Harry Potter, and even Hermes with its godlike and fashion associations, most people would still have a problem with Hermia (too close to hernia?) and Herman.

This Anglicized spelling of Irish Aislinn or Aisling has enjoyed some popularity in the US as an updated Ashley.

Nivea, or Nívea, is most commonly seen as a given name in Brazil, where it was derived from niveus, meaning "snow-white" in Latin. The German skincare brand NIVEA, founded in 1882, took its name from the same source.

Lovely entry into the tree name genre, joining Juniper, Oak, and Willow.

Cute boyish nickname for Thomasina, Thomasin or Tamsin.

Mysterious.

The German Matilda has some European variations that are popular in their native countries. Matilde ranks in Italy's and Portugal's Top 10 for girls, while the French variation Mathilde ranks among the Top 100 girl names in France, Denmark, and Norway.

If you want a pan-Scandinavian name with energy and style that could have been a winner, if not for the sound-alike water filtration company Brita.

This delightful, lovable Persian name is typically reserved as a nickname for Niloufar. It rhymes with Lilou, the utterly charming French nickname.

Relic of a past period of French favorites, out to pasture with Claudette and Paulette.

This is the Armenian version of the familia Julia, which has a rich and evocative sound. Other variations are Iuliya, and the diminitive Yulya.

Rock-and-roll version of Coco — definitely a possibility for girls.