Three Syllable Girl Names

Carlisle may be a male name in Twilight (he's vampire hero Edward's adoptive father), but in the real baby naming world, it's used about a quarter of the time for girls. Unusual now, we think Carlisle (or Carlyle) has the potential to be the next Carter.

The M and the R add welcome strength.

Italian form of Alexa, sometimes short for Alessandra, which sidesteps the Amazon Alexa issue.

There's only one. Okay, two.

Devera was the name of a Roman goddess who protected midwives and laboring women. She would use a broom to sweep evil away, referenced in the meaning of her name.

Afro-Asian model, designer, and entrepreneur Kimora Lee Simmons brought this name into the public eye and it enjoyed more than a decade in the Top 1000 during the 2000s and early 2010s. It peaked in 2008 when it reached the Top 300, but it has since been in decline, becoming an on-off visitor to the US charts.

The exact meaning of Kimora is unknown, though one possibility is that it's a nod the Japanese surname, Kimura, meaning "woods + village". Back in the US Top 1000 for 2023, Kimora could also feel like an updated form of Kim or Maura, and a spin on more popular Kora.

Veridian is a variation on Viridiana or Viridis, meaning green. Veridian is also the name of an American aeronautical company, so we recommend you stick with the alternatives.

This contracted form of Isadora makes for a more concise name that might catch the attention of modern parents.

A beautiful Urdu name with a musical sound and a lovely celestial meaning. Sitara got a boost in 2022, potentially from the award-winning 2020 short film "Sitara: Let Girls Dream", bringing awareness to the issue of child marriage.

Daya, popularized in the US as the name of a character on Orange Is The New Black, the variation Daia has recently been chosen as a name by Dutch rapper Willie Wartaal for his daughter, born in March 2016.

Names that sound and/or are spelled like Dalilah exist in several languages, from the Swahili Dalili to the Arabic Dalil to the Hebrew Delilah. While all these forms have pretty sounds, you'll encounter less confusion if you go with one of the original forms rather than Dalilah.

A sunny sounding name, Mayella is a smoosh name with various meanings, depending on which etymological root you follow for May. The name is perhaps most associated with Mayella Ewell in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a character whose loneliness and desperation spark the main plot of the book. This may well put parents off using the name and it is only ever given to a handful of girls every year.

Polexia Aphrodesia was the futuristic sounding name of the Anna Paquin character in the movie "Almost Famous."

This name stems from the Latin term Avis, meaning bird. Related names include Avice, Aveza and Aveline.

Aramide is a rare name in the US but better-known in Nigeria, where it's a choice from the Yoruba language.

Marciana is a cooler (much cooler) elaboration of Marcia.

Though many might find it too syrupy, hundreds of parents each year choose this name for their daughters to make them feel special. Precious Ramotswe is the engaging African sleuth in the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.