Three Syllable Names for Girls

Marigold, once found almost exclusively in English novels and aristocratic nurseries, is beginning to be talked about and considered here. It has a sweet, sunny, quirky feel. The marigold was the symbol of the Virgin Mary.

 Marigold appears in several children's book titles, such as Magic for Marigold, Once Upon a Marigold and Marigold in Godmother's House, and in the adult Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym. On the TV show 1600 Penn, Marigold was the President's young daughter. 

 The name got a big boost from its use in the period drama Downton Abbey, in which it belongs to a sweet little girl – which no doubt helped to endear parents to the name! It has risen dramatically since then, and recently entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2022. It was also one of the fastest rising names in 2023. We expect Marigold to be one to look out for as parents are looking for unique botanical names now that the previously offbeat Magnolia and Juniper are feeling less fresh.

Marigold

Meilani may sound like a Hawaiian name, kind of a mashup of Leilani and Melanie, but it's actually an invention by that style-maven JWoww, AKA Jenni Farley of Jersey Shore, who used it for her daughter. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2015.

Meilani

Makenna can be considered a member of the McKenna, Mackenna, Mckenzie and Mckayla family: surname style names that are popular for girls. It translates to "son of Kenneth", or taking Kenneth's meaning into account, "son born of fire". This particular spelling peeked in 2010 when it reached #201 on the US charts, and while it remains in the Top 500, it has declined in popularity in recent years.
 
The name can also be considered an Eastern African name, particularly used in Kenya. It comes from the Meru community where it has a cheerful meaning, though it is more often spelled Makena. 
 
Notable bearers include soccer player Makenna Morris and tennis play Makenna Jones.

Makenna

This variation of Aviana adds a second n, possibly to make the connection to Anna clearer. On the popularity charts, it first entered the US Top 1000 in 2011 and was one of the fastest-rising girls' names of 2016, entering the Top 500 for the first time. Its rising popularity could be attributed to the recent success of similar names Eliana/Elliana/Elianna and Ariana/Arianna. Whereas those two names shorten to Ellie and Ari, Avianna provides the trendy nickname Avi.

Avianna

A pretty princess-connected choice, with a compact, no-frills appearance, Tiana's debut in the US charts was likely thanks to actress Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant making her own debut in the 1975 movie The Killer Elite. Given to just 50 girls in 1974, but the following year, 247 babies received the name.
 
Familiarly used in the 80s and 90s, it was boosted up the charts again in 2010, after Disney bestowed the pretty name upon its first African-American princess in The Princess and the Frog. It nearly doubled in use in the US, while in France, Slovenia, England and Wales, New Zealand, and Australia it also saw a surge in popularity.
 
Usually considered a diminutive form of Tatiana (meaning unknown), it may also come from Christiana ("Christian"), or Bastiana ("venerable, from Sebaste"). It may be pronounced as tee-AHN-uh or as tee-ANN-uh, while spelling variations included Tianna, Tianah, and Tiyana.
 
In recent years, Tiana has declined in popularity, however, it's not in anyway out of style: the latest count saw it given to 490 babies, placing it in the US Top 700.

Tiana

Emelia takes elements from soundalike sisters Emilia and Amelia, which actually derive from different roots and have different meanings. 
 Emelia's current popularity (Top 600 in the US and Top 400 in the UK) is likely owing to parents wanting their Amelia/Emilia to stand out from the rest but given how similar it looks and sounds to its popular counterparts, it might be better to choose an alternative name if you're really aiming to be unique.

Emelia

This pretty sea-born name was used to dramatic effect by Shakespeare in his play Pericles for the virtuous princess who says she is "Call'd Marina, for I was born at sea." Marina was an epithet of Venus, and there was more than one saint of that name. It was used in Britain from as early as the fourteenth century.
 Although it reached as high as Number 219 in 1994, Marina never had the trendy feel of cousins Melissa and Marissa. It's now very popular in Spain.
 A prominent current bearer is Marina Abramovic, widely publicized New York-based Serbian performance artist. And actor Matt LeBlanc chose the name for his daughter, Marina Pearl.

Marina

The uber-popular nickname-name Ellie has led to the surge of all names that can be shortened as such. This includes Eliana, a current go-to for parents seeking a frilly name that shortens to a cuter option. Aliana is riding a similar wave, though this time the presumed nickname is Ali/Allie.
 Aliana Lohan is the younger sister of Lindsay. She goes by Ali.

Aliana

Though Loretta has long ago lost its Latin flair, fashionable Sarah Jessica Parker's choice of it as the middle name of one of her twin daughters freshens it up a bit. It's one of several such names, like Anita and Rita that we can envision making a comeback.
 It's a name that was once strongly associated with the glamorous, long popular movie and then TV star Loretta Young (born Gretchen), as well as country singer Loretta Lynn--who was named after Loretta Young.

Loretta

Elegant and bright with plenty of flair, Rosalia is widely-used in Spain and Italy, where there is a Sicilian Saint Rosalia. The name Rosalia refers back to the annual Roman ceremony of hanging garlands of roses on tombs, which could make it work as a commemorative name, though today it would most likely be used in honor of the uni-named Spanish pop star Rosalía. 
 
Derived from rosa, the floral inspired name entered the US Top 1000 in 2020, and has climbed substantially since, in step with Rosalia's fame. Given to nearly 600 babies in 2024, it is five times more popular than it was a decade ago. The short form can be either Rosie or Lia.

Rosalia

Siena is a soft and delicate Tuscan town name given a big fashion boost by lovely young actress/gossip column staple Sienna Miller. A real up-and-comer. 

Siena

Bright and vibrant but elegant too, Estrella is a rising star among Hispanic families that would make a good cross-cultural choice too. A Spanish word name that literally means "star", it is similar to <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">other popular names</a> with the same stellar meaning such as Esther and Stella. 
 
Notable bearers include flamenco singer Estrella Morente and author Estrella D. Alfon.

Estrella

An Indian name used to describe some of the tenets of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths (catvary arya satyani) or The Noble Eightfold Path (arya marga). It can also simply be a spelling variation of Aria, making it a cultural crossover name with both style and substance.

Ariya

Sierra is a name borrowed from the western mountain range, with Latin rhythm and cowboy charm, that has led to many offshoots: Cierra, Cyara, and so on. It is now probably past its peak but retains its pretty-yet-strong sound. The meaning refers to the sharp, irregular peaks of some of the Western mountains such as the Sierra Nevada.

Sierra

While this name is a phonetic variant of Amaya and Amaia, its popularity could also stem from its similarity to names such as Aliyah, Amelia, and Amara too. It entered the US Top 1000 back in 2003, peaked in 2017 at #257, but has been on decline in recent years. Nevertheless, it is one of four variations of Amaia in the Top 1000 and when you combine these names together, they were collectively given to 3256 babies in a recent year, making the name *feel* or at least *sound* like a Top 100 choice, similarly popular to Ruby, Claire, Audrey, or Alice. 


Amiyah

While the Latin Selena is more familiar in the US these days, the sleek, Greek original has plenty to offer. Borne by the Greek Goddess of the moon, she is the sister of Helios the sun god. A recent re-entry to the England and Wales Top 1000, Selene also charts in Italy and the US, where it's been on the rise. 
 
Meaning "moon", this celestial choice is typically pronounced as suh-LEEN, though the traditional Greek pronunciation is SEH-LEH-NEH or SEH-LEE-NEE. There's also the French form, Sélène (SEH-LEHN) to ponder.
 
While they may sound similar, Selene is a distinct name to Celine, which relates to the heavens rather than the moon.

Selene

Bright and pretty, resembling Aaliyah, Delilah, Amaya and Sarah, Sariyah is a celestial and stylish choice,
 
Sariyah can be a variant of the Mormon 'Sariah' meaning "Yahweh is ruler", or it is an alternative spelling for the Arabic "Thurayya" meaning "The Pleiades" or "night traveller". 
 
One of the fastest rising girls names of 2023, Sariyah rose 156 places and is now given to more than 500 girls each year. The could be because it sounds similar to other popular choices, or because the name was made more visible by influencer Sariyah Yaya Panton.

Sariyah

This version of Malia (as in Obama) peaked at Number 296 in 2009. Though Maliyah has lost ground since then, it's surprisingly enduring for a newly-fashion name whose pop culture connection was more than a decade ago.

The reason for Maliyah's steady rank in the middle of the Top 1000 may be that it's also similar to another name inspired by a pop culture icon, Aaliyah. Many versions of Aaliyah have proved to have staying power, and you can think of Maliyah as one of them.

Maliyah

Rode two rockets to fame, with actress Winona Ryder and singer Wynonna Judd. Winona entered the Top 1000 for the first time since 1957 this past year in 2022, following in the footsteps of trending short form Winnie.

Winona

Though this is a popular name for men in the Bible, today it's used with this spelling for nearly equal numbers of girls and boys. The Azaria variation is much more often given to girls.

Azariah

 abound on Nameberry, with over 10,000 names on this list containing three syllables.

That's an overwhelming number of choices of names for baby girls with three syllables, which provide a good balance for shorter surnames.

To help narrow down your choice, see our list of The Best 

The full list of over 10,000 three syllable names for baby girls, with meanings, origins, and popularity, including top 3 syllable girl names and unique girl names with three syllables. (Page 14)

Three Syllable Girl Names