Two Syllable Names for Girls

Halia is one of Hawaii's top baby names, in the Top 50 for girls in 2021. But it's rare outside its native Hawaii, given to only 57 baby girls in the US last year.

Taina is a feminine Tupi name meaning "star." A nice choice for those looking for something celestial but less common than Stella or Astrid. Taina also means "secret" in Russian and is a Finnish form of Tatiana.

Hanya, made famous by American novelist Hanya Yanagihara and German dancer and choreographer Hanya Holm, is a simple straightforward name rare in the US, where only a handful of baby girls are named Hanya each year. But it makes a distinctive short form for the overused Hannah or an update for the old world Johanna, so deserves more attention.

Better for a dog.

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

Subtle botanical choice with cross-cultural appeal. Streamlined Liana is more common.

The name of the character in Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene" whom the poet intended as a representation of Queen Elizabeth I. While it will no doubt thrill your daughter's English professor, the addition of the "Bel" to already great Phoebe is on the fussy side.

We've seen Haven take off as a nouveau girls' name; Harbor could follow in its wake.

Whether you spell it Lisette or Lizette, a somewhat dated diminutive that nevertheless retains some charm.

Perrin has been in long use as a surname, derived from Peter, and is now used quietly as a first name. It was given to 37 boys and 12 girls in the US in 2022, an increase over the year before. It has an attractive sound and feel and seems equally usable for both sexes.

Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.

Lilium is the genus of the lily family of plants and sounds a bit botanically formal for a first name. Try Lillia or Lilias.

A tip-top word name—literally, Zenith means the top or apex. Zen makes a cute nickname.

Related to the powerful South African warrior people, sometimes chosen by African-Americans to celebrate their heritage.

Lova, a Louise relative virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top girl names in Sweden.

Nadya and Nadia are Eastern European short forms -- for the more difficult Nadezhda -- now fully accepted on their own.