Two Syllable Names for Girls

  1. Julien
    • Origin:

      French from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "youthful, downy-bearded, or sky father"
    • Description:

      Although Julien is traditionally the male French form of Julian, musician Julien Baker has taken this variation of the name to the female side of the ledger. Julien is derived from the Ancient Roman Julius which is in turn related to the God name Jupiter or Jove, The most popular forms of the name in modern times have been Julia and Julian, but many variations for both genders, including Juliet, Julianne, and Julius, have become more visible too.
  2. Francis
    • Heaven
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        Among the children named Heaven are the daughters of TV personality Brooke Burke and rap singer Lil' Mo, who also has a daughter named God'iss Love. Some parents have taken to using Nevaeh instead—Heaven spelled backwards.
    • Torrance
      • Origin:

        Scottish habitational surname
      • Meaning:

        "from the hillocks"
      • Description:

        Popularized for girls after Kirsten Dunst portrayed high school cheerleading captain Torrance Shipman in the 2000 movie Bring it On. Tori is an easy nickname.
    • Feline
      • Origin:

        Feminine form of Felinus, Latin
      • Meaning:

        "cat-like"
      • Description:

        This Top 100 girls' name in The Netherlands is unlikely to translate to the U.S., where it would undoubtedly pronounced fee-line and mistaken for the adjective that means cat-like. While the name Feline -- and Felina and Felinus -- do have the same root, the considerably more charming pronunciation in modern-day Europe is fee-LEEN-ah. Some websites mistakenly relate it to Felix and give its meaning as happy or fortunate.
    • Gerda
      • Origin:

        Scandinavian
      • Meaning:

        "enclosure, stronghold"
      • Description:

        Mythological goddess of fertility whose name seems, ironically, among the least attractive.
    • Reiko
      • Origin:

        Japanese
      • Meaning:

        "pretty child"
      • Description:

        Dainty and doll-like.
    • Tania
      • Origin:

        Russian, diminutive of Tatiana
      • Meaning:

        "belonging to the house of Tatius"
      • Description:

        Tania is a Russian name that has been fully integrated into the American name pool, retaining just a touch of its Slavic flavor. It started as a pet form of Tatiana, which is beginning to be used in this country as well. Also spelled Tanya, as in country singer Tanya Tucker.
    • Ainar
      • Origin:

        Kazakh
      • Meaning:

        "fire moon or pomegranate moon"
      • Description:

        Unlike its identical male counterpart, Ainar as a feminine name derives from Kazakh ay "moon" plus either a Persian element meaning "pomegranate" or an Arabic word meaning "fire".
    • Tahlia
      • Bora
        • Origin:

          Czech diminutive of Barbara or Albanian
        • Meaning:

          "snow"
        • Description:

          "Bore" and "boring" are teasing possibilities; Thora, Nora, and Flora recommended alternatives.
      • Iana
        • Origin:

          Latin, Slavic variation of Jane
        • Meaning:

          "God is gracious"
        • Description:

          In Roman mythology, Iana was an epithet of Diana, goddess of the moon.
      • Desi
        • Origin:

          Short form of Desiree, French
        • Meaning:

          "desired"
        • Description:

          Desi makes Desiree a lot cuter and more boyish.
      • Celie
        • Origin:

          French variation of Cecilia
        • Meaning:

          "blind"
        • Description:

          Attractive, underused name made famous by the heroine of The Color Purple. Still, if you're going to go to Celie, why not go all the way to Celia or Cecelia? You can always use Celie for short.
      • Alasne
        • Origin:

          Basque
        • Meaning:

          "Miracle"
        • Description:

          Alazne is a traditional name in Euskera, the language of the Basque people.
      • Riella
        • Origin:

          Short form of Gabriella
        • Meaning:

          "God is my strength"
        • Description:

          If you have an aversion to Briella, you can shorten it even further to this.
      • Ceara
        • Origin:

          Spelling variation of Irish Ciara
        • Description:

          Even though the pronunciation of Ceara and the more usual Ciara is KEER-a, most Americans would tend to mispronounce this spelling variation as Sierra.
      • Bronagh
        • Origin:

          Irish
        • Meaning:

          "sorrow"
        • Description:

          Bronagh, along with Anglicized form Brona, is a popular name in Ireland. It's the name of a sixth century mystic as well as a modern television character on Penny Dreadful.
      • Triana
        • Origin:

          Spanish place name
        • Description:

          Triana is a Top 50 girls' name in Spain largely unknown and unused in the US: Only 10 baby girls in the US were given the name in 2017. Also a surname, Triana is the name of a distinctive neighborhood of Seville that's known for being home to artists, flamenco dancers, and bullfighters. Its name comes from the Roman emperor Trajan, which means "three rivers". Some sources list Triana as a short form of Katherine, a variation of Trina, and you can use it that way to honor an ancestral Katherine.
      • Alys