Three Syllable Girl Names

Girl names ending in lani are one of the hottest trends of recent years, thanks to the lilting and lyrical Hawaiian name Leilani. Leilani has inspired a number of offshoots, including Kehlani and Meilani.

The Icelandic variation of Móheiðr, an Old Norse name combined of the elements mod, meaning "courage," and heid, "bright."

This traditional Cherokee name could easily be borne by a modern baby girl with connections to the tribe.

Iolani feels quintessentially Hawaiian, a stylish origin for baby names these days thanks to Malia, the Hawaiian name of the Obamas' older daughter. The initial I is pronounced with a long e sound, as in Waikiki, and the name Iolani has four syllables.

A merry surname cousin of Kerrigan, could make a lively choice for a happy little girl.

A widely used name in medieval Europe that's been almost completely forgotten. Blanche still reads as old lady-ish, and the frilly "-fleur" doesn't make it feel younger. But it could be a striking, not to say iconic, choice for a bold parent, especially if they had some sort of connection to white flowers or the Middle Ages.

An energetic and distinctive choice.

Ewella is one of the modern Cornish word names plucked straight from the dictionary. It's very name-like with its -ella ending, but the Ew up front gives us pause.

Upbeat Native American name with a wonderful meaning.

In Irish mythology, Fionnabhair (Old Irish Findabair or Finnabair) is the daughter of Queen Medb of Connacht and Ailill, whose beauty is exploited by her mother to persuade a long line of warriors to face the legendary hero Cú Chulainn in single-combat. All are defeated and killed, a bloody battle ensues, and Fionnabhair drops dead of shame when she discovers that she has inadvertently been the cause of all the death and destruction.

The name of the tragic heroine of Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem The Gypsies, which has been adapted into several dozen ballets and operas. It may also have inspired Prosper Mérimée's novella Carmen, on which the famous opera of the same name was based.

Lilyana is variant of "Lillian" or "Liliana", which are elaborations of the flower name "Lily".

Variant of Haniya

The name of the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses in the Old Testament. Yocheved was also the name of one of the three daughters of the medieval Talmudic scholar, Rashi.

Best known to the West through the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes, which tells the story of Sadako Sasaki, this name has become synonymous with peace.

Fedora is occasionally heard among the British Mayfair and Belgravia set, but we're afraid that in this country there would be too strong an association with the man's felt hat.