The Best Two Syllable Baby Names

Mauro, a Top 100 name in Spain and Puerto Rico, is etymologically unrelated to the girls' name Maura, but that won't stop many English speakers from drawing the comparison.

Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century, when Marva was also in style.

The craze for surname names is now moving beyond the English and Irish to include worldly Spanish names for boys like this historic one currently in the Top 1000.

This popular Indian name is heard in the US. Bollywood actor Akshay Khanna has a son named Arnav.

Poet Jorie Graham is the best-known (okay: only known) bearer of this fresh, spirited spin on the Cory-Tory-Rory group. The boys' Jory is a Cornish nickname for George.

Fans of versatile, rising African- American actor Mekhi Phifer have begun to adopt his unusual first name for their sons.

Bronte is the lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name; a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. An extra element of Bronte's appeal: the surprise of it dramatic meaning coupled with its mellifluous sound.

This name seems to foresee a future CFO. Not a bad thing. Osgood Perkins is the name of both the father and son of actor Anthony. Oz is the enlivening nickname.

This hip Parisian neighborhood name would make a delightful middle for a baby girl.

A strong, classic, simple name that has nonetheless never been overexposed.