Three Syllable Girl Names

Parents of female Emersyns will say this Emerson variation's Y makes it more feminine -- and to some extent, it does. This, combined with the trendy Y, have flagged this name as on-the-rise. "Em" names have been hot for girls in recent years, from the classic Emma, Emily, and Emilia to the modern Emery and Ember — and both Emerson and Emersyn are no exception. Emersyn entered the charts in 2019 and has been rising since, all the way up to the Top 200.

Anneli is one of the hundreds of Anne variations with an intriguing spelling. This name has been popular throughout Scandinavia over time and would certainly translate easily to English-speaking countries.

Delicate and gentle old-fashioned name, the kind found in early English poetry. While Corinna and the original Green Korinna are technically diminutives of the ancient Kore, now the popular Cora, this name will often be mistaken for other similar-sounding though unrelated names, such as Karenna. But it's pretty and is backed by more tradition than you'd guess.

In Greek myth, Medusa was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, with live venomous snakes in place of hair and the ability to turn people to stone with just a glance. In later myths, Medusa was originally a beautiful maiden, who was transformed into a monster by the jealous Athena.

Mikasa references Mount Mikasa, a mountain in Japan with three peaks, thought to look like bamboo hats. The Mikasa battleship was named after the mountain.

Akin to Ada, Adeline, and Adele, Adalie is one of many names to derive from the Old German element adal. Musical and lively, and less popular than its many of its sisters, Adalie was given to around 160 girls in a recent year. An obscure choice until the 2000s, Adalie saw increased usage in the US in 2012, around the time as other Ad- names were beginning to really trend.

This makes Milan sound like less of a place, more of a name.

Less electric and melodramatic, more serene, than Electra. Isabella Rossellini's daughter (and Ingrid Bernman's granddaughter) is named Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann.

Shiny cousin of Samara with an intriguing meaning. Increasingly associated with the charming Samira Wiley, a perennial scene-stealer on "Orange is the New Black" and "The Handmaid's Tale."

Both Karissa and Carissa are trending downward, along with the other issa names that first rose to popularity in the 1970s. Karissa fell out of the Top 1000 in 2014, two years after Carissa.

Lucina, deriving from Latin lucus "grove" and also associated with lux "light", is an epithet given in Roman mythology to the goddess Juno (and sometimes also Diana) in her role as goddess of childbirth. A stately and unusual route to Lucy, more delicate than Lucinda.

This biblical name of the mother of King Jotham of Judah has an appealing soft Russian accent.

Although it is sometimes cited as the Gaelic equivalent of English Margery or Marjorie ("pearl"), Marsaili in fact derives from the name of the Roman god of war, Mars, via the related name Marcella. It has been used in Scotland since at least the early 15th century, and is encountered in a number of variant spellings, including Marsali, Mharsaili and Marsailidh. The Marsali spelling was used by American author Diana Gabaldon for a minor character in her "Outlander" series of historical novels, set in 18th century Scotland. One of the most unique and authentic Scottish names for girls.

Miguel de Cervantes invented this elaborate-sounding name -- which roughly translates as "sweetness" -- for the beautiful maiden Don Quixote is obsessed with in his great novel. Even in the fictional world of the book, though, Dulcinea is not the woman's real name; Aldonza is. And because she never appears in person in the text, it's unclear whether she is as beautiful and saintly as the protagonist believes her to be. Probably not, given Don Quixote's track record.

Free and fun name if you don't want to be pinned down to Noelle, Pasqua, or Valentine.

Simpler and less tied to the singer in this form, Aliya is a feminine form of the Arabic name Ali, meaning "lofty, sublime, high" or "exalted." Boosted to fame by the ill-fated singer, Aaliyah, and used across the Middle East, the US and the UK, Aliya is a powerful and pretty choice with a concise spelling.

The extra n makes it feel less like an feminization of Alan and more like a name unto itself. Alanna is more common in Puerto Rico than the original Alana.

Invented by author Stephenie Meyer for the Twilight series for the half-human, half-vampire daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, it's an amalgamtion of the names of Bella's mother Renee and Edward's adoptive mother Esme. Much to our surprise, some people are trying this at home.

The Narellan is the name of a river in New South Wales. From this name comes this quasi-French girls' name, which is quite common in Australia.

The longer form of Xia is more rhythmic but also more problematic.