Three Syllable Girl Names

A character name from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula is one of the two main antagonists of the series: a Firebender who produces blue flames (hence her name, which is derived from Spanish, Portuguese and Galician azul, meaning "blue").

Basque name for a Spanish city where the Virgin Mary appeared in medieval times, now a popular girls' name throughout Spain.

Distinctive Native-American choice with forceful meaning.

This frilly Victorian name is a variant of Cecilia and Cecily, with which it might well be confused. Cicely was a surprise choice for comedienne Sandra Bernhard.

The astronomical Polaris is better known as the North Star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. It's also the name of a character in the Marvel Universe, as the daughter of Magneto. A handful of girls have been given the name in recent years.

In Hinduism, the god Aruna is the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. Aruna is both the traditional masculine form of the name (modernized as Arun) and its feminization.

A relatively modern (18th C) Irish Gaelic name, Siofra or, more properly, Síofra with the fada has its roots in superstition. In the past, when babies were born in Ireland their families feared that the fairies would steal the baby and leave an elven changeling child in its place. It’s an uncommon name starting to pick up in its native country.

Saint's name made infamous by Philippine dictator's wife Imelda Marcos. A more positive famous bearer is the British actress Imelda Staunton, best known for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies.

In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it seems that a few parents are prepared to look past this problematic association, seeing this as a offbeat option for those who defy convention. We would recommend thinking seriously about the background of this name before bestowing it on your daughter.

A name that is either inspired by the classic Harriet - and by the character Arrietty in The Borrowers - or, a compound name, merging Aria or Ari with Etta.

An unusual Gwyn name with a lovely meaning, this compound name pairs Gwyn with the name Eira, meaning "snow". A relatively modern creation, it remains very rare.

This euphonious and lovely name is an internationally appealing choice, that, like Gabriela and Isabela before it, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream. Also spelled Raffaella (Italian), Raffaela (German), or Raphaela (Hebrew), it was given to around 50 girls in the US in 2023.

The sort of oh-so-French name that's falling out of favor now.

Lovella is most likely a feminine variation on Lovell, a surname. While it feels one of the invented-yet-antiquated girls' names, has the obvious attraction of containing the word "love" within it, as well as the opportunity to use "Ella" as nickname.

A pretty and unusual path to the nickname Mira. Mira is the main character in Nobel Prize-winner Federico Mistral's poem of the same name. Mireya Moscoso was Panama's first female president.

Farida is a Muslim name more distinctive than the Americanized Farah/Farrah.

Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain, agriculture, and the harvest, growth and nourishment, was Zeus's sister and Persephone's mother. Variation Demetria is the full name of actress Demi Moore. Though familiar, Demeter is not one of the Greek goddess namesthat's finding widespread modern favor.

The Gwendoline form may introduce pronunciation confusion -- does that last syllable rhyme with wine or win or when? We vote Gwendolen as not only the most proper but the clearest spelling, followed by Gwendolyn, with Gwendoline a distant third.

This name of a minor character in the Old Testament, also spelled Atara, has a softly pleasing sound. In the Old Testament, Atarah was a descendant of Judah.

The current wife of Donald Trump, Slovenian model Melania Knauss, brought this pretty version to the fore. Saint Melania was an heiress who freed thousands of enslaved people.