Three Syllable Girl Names

Whether you think of the chocolates or the naked long-haired lady on the horse, Godiva is a name with baggage no child should have to carry.

The name of the resort city on Spain's Costa del Sol is pronounced mar-BAY-a, setting it apart from the bella-name competition -- though many English speakers won't realize that.

Hawaiian names are up across the board, but the lilting and lovely Kalea is headed for the mainstream, along with variants Kaleah and Kaleia.

Tavora is an attractive option, based on the name of a mountain in northern Israel. But the meaning of Tavora and brother name Tavor is less than optimal.

Well, parents are naming their children Eden and Heaven...so why not?

While some sources assign the place-name the romantic meaning "beautiful daughter of the stars," the Virginia region itself says the name is of uncertain Native American origin with many possible but no definitive meaning. No matter: Shenandoah is a lovely name that's rare but usable.

Although the Mc or Mac prefix always means "son of", the first names McKenna and MacKenna are used in the US exclusively for girls, with the McKenna spelling outpacing this one 14 to 1. There are no boys recorded with either spelling of the name.

Related to the more common Solana, Salana has a pleasantly rhythmic pan-cultural feel.

Name of mythological fiend who seduced young men and then ate them, which inspired the Keats poem "Lamia." Described in mythology as a snake with the head and breasts of a woman, this name has been considered in modern times as a vampire name. And if all that isn't discouraging enough, there's the "lame" connection.

Aoibhinn and its twin name Aoibheann may be popular in Ireland but most English-speakers would find the spelling baffling and the pronunciation impossible to divine. It's ee-van, or se-vin, fitting with the Irish popularity of many names -- Aoife, Eabha, Ava -- with this similar sound.

Delicately pretty name all but unknown here.

Historia originated as a Greek term and is the basis for the word "history" in many languages, including English and Spanish. It is used as a name for the character Historia Reiss in the anime series Attack on Titan.

This Latin name, also spelled Alida, has come into focus via the interesting character of Aleida Diaz on Orange is the New Black, the mother of Dayanara. In real life, Che Gueverra named a daughter Aleida.

Zuleika is a high-wire act of a name that might appeal to the intrepid baby namer, Like most 'Z'-starting girls' names, it projects a cool, strong aura, as exemplified by the character in Max Beerbohm's satirical 1910 novel, Zuleika Dobson, a heroine so gorgeous that the entire student body of Oxford University committed collective suicide at the sight of her.

This spelling variation of the classic Evelyn gives it a trendy makeover to fit in with the surge of names ending with -lynn suffixes. Recent counts have seen it given to around 1000 girls each year and it sits with the Top 400.

Whether spelled Raffaela, Rafaela, Raffaella, or Raphaela, a euphonius name with a dark-eyed, long-flowing-haired image. Like Gabriella and Isabella, is beginning to be drawn into the American mainstream.