Two Syllable Names for Girls

This spelling variation of trending unisex Ari — both diminutives of Hebrew Ariel — means "lion of God".

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

Kyrie elieson is one of the oldest religious refrains, meaning Lord, have mercy. As a first name, though, Kyrie is less a name of God and more a nickname-name that might be short for Kyra or a diminutive that stands on its own, a la Kylie. The best-known Kyrie is the male basketball player Kyrie Irving, who pronounces the first syllable to rhyme with my rather than fear. He has inspired more than 1000 baby boys to be given this name one recent year in the US, while it was given to 178 baby girls. Impressive numbers.

The feminine form of Orpheus, the charming musician of Greek myth who descended to the underworld.

Ylva may look like it belongs with the Eva family of names, but it actually derives from Ulf, a name meaning "wolf." It's not a very intuitive name to English-speakers, and likely won't get picked up in the US anytime soon. At last count, it was only given to five American baby girls.

The Yiddish form of Rivka hums along at the bottom of the baby name charts. It's been given to anywhere between 5 and 20 baby girls since the late '60s. Rivka is currently more than 30 times as popular, but for Jewish families, the softer (but still saucy) Rifka may be due for a comeback.

Zorya is the name of the two star goddess in Slavic mythology, Zorya Utrennyaya and Zorya Vechernyaya, referring to the morning and evening stars, respectively. It's used as a name in Russia and other countries with Slavic-based languages.

Ocie is yet another antiquated ie-ending short form that was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s and now has almost dropped from sight.

Lizzie was commonly used as an independent name in the last half of the nineteenth century. Today Lizzie is still one of the most stylish short forms of Elizabeth, but few U.S. parents put it on the birth certificate.

A cute, zippy French saint's name that's picking up in popularity there, and here in the US. Zélie originated as a short form of Azélie, thought to derive from Adelaide via the Occitan form Azalaïs. Saint Zélie was born Marie-Azélie.

Baylor is a possible occupational alternative to the tired Taylor, especially for a horse lover.

Somewhat flat-footed form; go for the original.

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the legends, Iara seduces men to the river to accompany her in her immortal life.

Noreen's in limbo, especially now that Nora has made a comeback.

A modern Japanese name meaning "future", borne by figure skater Mirai Nagasu. The name is technically unisex, but more often given to girls. Mirai is also a Shona female given name, meaning "wait".

The Japanese equivalent of Violet, common among Millennial and Gen Z Japanese women.

Is it pronounced MEE-ah or MY-ah? Only the bearer knows for sure, which is one of the central problems with this hybrid name.

Faustine has a positive meaning, although the association with the character who sold his soul to the devil may be off-putting. This name is among the Top 100 girls' names in France, but was given to fewer than five baby girls in the US last year.

Ilsa is remembered as the radiant but tragic heroine of "Casablanca," and it's having something of a European resurgence.

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.