Three Letter Girl Names
- Lua
Origin:
PortugueseMeaning:
"moon"Description:
Properly spelled Luã, this is a light and bright alternative to mega-popular Luna, with the same celestial meaning. Lua is also an attractive choice for tech-heads, with Lua being a popular programming language.
- Tia
Origin:
Diminutive of names ending -tiaDescription:
A short, bright name which originates as a short form of names including Tiana, and Tatiana. Not as popular as Mia – a plus if you're seeking a short and pretty but less common name. In Spanish and Portuguese tía/tia is a word meaning "aunt". In Haida culture in indigenous Canada, Tia is a goddess of peaceful death.
- Bee
Origin:
Animal name or diminutive of BeatriceMeaning:
"she who brings happiness"Description:
We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha Bee, not to mention Aunt Bee on the old The Andy Griffith Show TV show. Bee can theoretically be short for any girl names starting with B.
- Ina
Origin:
Latin, feminine suffixDescription:
This suffix is used as an independent name, but doesn't your little girl deserve more?
- Kay
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineDescription:
Kay, a cigarette-smoking, nightclubbing name of the 1930's, could be ready for a comeback along with cousins May/Mae and Ray/Rae.
- Ray
Origin:
Diminutive of Rachel or Raymond; word nameDescription:
Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders.
- Ren
Origin:
JapaneseMeaning:
"water lily, lotus"Description:
In Japan the lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. In the US, Ren can also be short for Lauren or Renee, but it could be misspelt as the more popular Wren.
- Ana
Origin:
Variation of HannahMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Confident and compact, Ana is a widely used variation of the Biblical Hannah. Favored in Spain, Slovenia, Bosnia, Portugal, and Croatia, this shorter spelling has the same substance and versatility of its longer counterparts.
- Ara
Origin:
ArmenianMeaning:
"king"Description:
Simple and yet distinctive, Ara is a mythological name of a famously handsome king. Although it originated as a boys' name, in the contemporary US, it's now much more commonly used for girls.
- Ari
Origin:
Diminutive of Ariel, HebrewMeaning:
"lion of God"Description:
In 2010, baby boys named Ari outnumbered baby girls 4 to 1; today, there are nearly equal numbers of boys and girls named Ari. And that's only counting the babies who receive Ari as a full name. Ari can also be short for not only Ariel but Aria, Arya, Ariana, and any other name starting with Ari. Ari entered the US Top 1000 for girls in 2016.
- Sky
Origin:
Nature nameDescription:
Sky may be a bit hippie-ish, but it's bright and sunny nonetheless. Sky rejoined the Top 1000 in 2013 after spending many years off the list. Sky was the choice of magician David Copperfield for his daughter, born in 2010.
- Nox
Origin:
Latin variation of Nyx, GreekMeaning:
"night"Description:
Nox was the Roman goddess of the night, equivalent to the Greek Nyx, from which her name was derived. Although identical in sound, Nox is unrelated to the Scottish masculine name Knox.
- Sai
Origin:
Hindi or JapaneseMeaning:
"holy or difference"Description:
As an Indian name, Sai honors spiritual master Shirdi Sai Baba, who was revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees. Sai is the name of the young heroine of Kiran Desai's prizewinning The Inheritance of Loss, while Sai De Silva is a Real Housewife of NYC.
- Jia
Origin:
Italian or ChineseMeaning:
"God's gracious gift or home, family"Description:
Jia might be considered a spelling variation of Gia, an Italian feminine form of John as a shortening of Gianna or Giovanna. Jia might also be the anglicized form of many Chinese names, which have different meanings including home or family. If you're looking for girl names starting with J that sound unusual yet familiar, this might be one possibility, though many Americans will think it's spelled Gia.
- Xin
Origin:
ChineseMeaning:
"beautiful, elegant, mind, soul, joyous"Description:
A lovely name with many possible meanings depending on the characters used. A common feature of Chinese names for both sexes.
- Ula
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"gem of the sea"Description:
Ula is among the unusual U names that may have a range of origins and meanings, from the Celtic one given here to its possibilities as a short form of Eulalia or Ursula. Ulla is a Scandinavian name usually an abbreviation of Ursula or Ulrika.
- Luz
Origin:
SpanishMeaning:
"light"Description:
Pronounced LOOSE, this name that refers to the Virgin Mary—"Our Lady of Light"—is one of the most widely used Spanish name for girls. Its sleekness and stylish final z gives it a modern appeal, like sister name Lux. Nicknames and variations include Chitta, Lucecita, Lucelida, Lucelita, Lucha, Lucida, Lucila, Lusa, and Luzana.
- Cia
Origin:
Diminutive of CynthiaDescription:
What's Cia short for? Cynthia or most any other C-name. Stylish in its sleek Mia-Nia minimalist feel, but may remind some of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- Mei
Origin:
Chinese; HawaiianMeaning:
"beautiful; plum"Description:
Homophonous with Mae and May, the beautiful (literally) Mei is poised to climb the charts. The hero of the 2022 Disney/Pixar film Turning Red is a Chinese-Canadian teen named Meilin "Mei" Lee, which may boost the name ever further.
- Dia
Origin:
Mbama, Sanskrit, Latin, and SpanishMeaning:
"love; lamp; heavenly; day"Description:
A sweet and simple multicultural choice which has several different meanings and origins.