Three Syllable Names for Girls

Hawaiian names have officially made their way to the mainland, with Leilani, Kehlani, Alani, Kailani, and Kaylani all ranking within the Top 300. Now Kahlani — one of several pseudo-Hawaiian names popping up across the country — has entered the US Top 1000 in 2023.

Kahlani

One of many influential names invented by George R.R. Martin for "A Song of Ice and Fire." Lyanna Stark was the courageous, high-spirited younger sister of Ned Stark, whose broken engagement to Robert Baratheon set off a civil war. Young Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island -- a very memorable character in HBO's "Game of Thrones" -- was named after Lyanna Stark. Lyanna's been one of the "Game of Thrones" names that have caught on the most, even if it's attracted less attention than Khaleesi. Lyanna broke into the Top 1000 in 2017.

Lyanna

Like Galilea and Livia, one of the Italian names that fashionable American parents—with or without Italian roots—have started to choose for their daughters. It has endured ups and downs since entering the popularity charts in 1991.

Giovanna

One of the first luxury brand names and the quintessential Booming Eighties status-conscious moniker; used by Donald Trump for his daughter, Tiffany has plummeted far from its high in the Top 25.
 
Tiffany first entered the Top 1000 in 1962, following the release of Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961.

Tiffany

Many parents prefer this spelling of Rebecca, used in some versions of the Bible. Still, it's slipped considerably since its heyday in the eighties and nineties and fell off the US Top 1000 completely in 2023.

Rebekah

Aviana is a name that's like the megapopular Ava and Ariana, but not quite as popular as either. It entered into the mainstream back in 2010 however, after actress Amy Adams chose it for her daughter, fulfilling her desire to choose a "normal" name after all, even if it didn't seem like that a decade ago. 
 
Adams got the name from her place of birth, Aviano, Italy, though we suspect many parents go with Aviana for its bird related meaning and popular sounds. The first syllable of the name can be pronounced ah, ay, or av (like in have).
 
In 2024, it was a fast rising choice, given to over 400 girls, despite having previously been on the decline.

Aviana

A name that gained some currency through its rhyming relationship to Breanna, though it has been on a downward trend since 1989. 

Leanna

Deriving from "Lilian", as an elaborate form of the flower name, "Lily", Lilianna is a clean and polished spelling for those wanting the pronunciation Lily-Ann-uh. 
While the Spanish-influenced spelling "Liliana" ranks higher on the charts, it would likely be pronounced Lily-ahn-uh, so if the smoosh-name-feel and distinctive 'A' sound is your preference, then this is a good option for you. A notable namesake is Lilianna Walczak, a Polish gymnast.

Lilianna

Anais is an unusual, alluring name forever attached to the daring French-born American novelist and diarist Anais Nin (born Angela, with Anais as one of her middle names), who became the inspiration for the naming of the daughter of musician Noel Gallagher. Anais is also the name of a popular perfume.
 Anais can be found as a character in Balzac's "Lost Illusions", and in Colette's 'Claudine' books.
 Anais would make a creative and distinctive <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/673/middle-names">middle name</a>.

Anais

Actress and author Mariel Hemingway popularized this attractive and unusual variation of Mary, which first emerged in the 20th century. Also the name of a Cuban town — which provided the source of the actress's name — Mariel is popular in Mexico, and recently saw a spike in interest in the US, tripling in use since 2020. 
 
As an international form of Mary, the meaning is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).
 
Give to 240 girls in recent stats, Mariel outranks the French Marielle and Spanish Mariela, but is slightly behind the Italian Mariella.

Mariel

Now that Violet is becoming more popular, parents are starting to explore same-but-different options such as the French Violette, which would properly be pronounced with a long e sound in the first syllable and three syllables -- vee-oh-let -- as well as the Spanish Violeta — both of which were among the fastest-rising girl names of 2023.

Violette

A faux Hawaiian name in the style of Leilani, Kalani, and Kailani, Naylani may be read as variation of Nālani (meaning "the heavens"), a contraction of Noelani (meaning "heavenly mist"), or a blend of the -lani with the nay element, borrowed from Swahili Naya ("purpose, aim"), Zapotec Nayeli ("I love you" or "open"), multicultural Anaya ("concern, care" or "the end"), or similar. 
 
It made its debut in the US charts in 2025, when it was given to 296 babies, having risen an impressive 940 places up the charts, making it one of the fastest rising names of the year, featuring alongside Ailanny, Klarity, and Kailany.

Naylani

A distinctive nature name and member of the trendy bird category, Ainara might make an unusual choice with a lovely secret (to English speakers, anyway) meaning. A Top 100 choice in Spain and in the Top 50 in Puerto Rico, Ainara may appeal to those who enjoy Paloma and Aviana, or those who like the sound of Amaia, Nora, and Alora. 
 
A Spanish variation of the Basque word enara (also used as a name), Ainara means "swallow" and is pronounced ie-NA-ra. It was chosen for 270 girls in the US in a recent year, placing it in the latter end of the Top 1000, while Enara was chosen for just nine babies.
 
The name may also be used, albeit more quietly, in Kazakhstan, created by combining Turkish, Arabic, and Persian elements, in which it means "fire moon" or "pomegranate moon". In this case, it can also be spelled as Aynara.

Ainara

Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous parents intrigued by this richly evocative and romantic choice.
 Guinevere shares the attractive short form Gwyn with Gwyneth. Other cousin ideas: Gwendolen, Genevieve, Jenna, or Gwen.

Guinevere

A beautiful Hebrew name that would work perfectly for a child today.

Liora

Sleek, classic and streamlined, this is the Italian and Spanish form of Louisa, ultimately from the Louis, the French variant of Germanic Ludwig. Slightly airier in sound than the English form, Luisa is said LWEE-sah in Spanish and LWEE-zah in Italian.
 
A Top 200 choice in Italy, Luisa is also familiar in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while in Portugal, it is spelled as Luísa.

Luisa

Khalani debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2020 thanks to the influence of Khalani Simon — known as Lani Love — a child model and budding star.

Khalani

With Natalie and Natalia in the US Top 100, it is not a surprise for spelling variations to gain popularity. Nataly was given to nearly 300 baby girls in 2023 and was one of the fastest-rising girl names that year.
 
Derived from Late Latin and meaning "born at Christmas", this isn't Nataly's first appearance in the charts, however. It has been used since the 90s, and peaked in 2008, when it reaches the Top 400. It fell out of favor in the 2010s, but it is now the only spelling variant in the charts, having pushed out Nathalie, Natalee and Nathaly. Used in Brazil and Mexico too, Nataly lends itself to nickname Tally more easily, perhaps.
 
Notable namesakes include Nataly Dawn, the vocalist of American musical duo Pomplamoose and Nataly Andria-Dave, a Malagasy-French songwriter and pop singer. 
 It may be tempting to spell a popular name differently, to put your own spin on it, however, in the US, it still sounds the same as the long-time favorite Natalie and will feel just as popular, just with the headache of spelling it out every time.

Nataly

How do you spell Teresa? Teresa, the simpler phonetic form of this name, was the most popular variation for its early life, when it was used exclusively in Spain and Portugal. Other spellings of Teresa include Theresa, the usual English form, and the French Therese.
 
Teresa and all its variations are far off their mid-20th-century peak now, though the name has many worthy namesakes including Saint Teresa and Mother Teresa. Short forms Tess and Tessa are now more fashionable.

Teresa

A rising star in the US, Anayah entered the Top 1000 in 2025 when it rose nearly 150 places up the charts. A truly international choice with a variation of possible origins, it may derive from the Arabic Inaya, meaning "care, concern", the Basque Anaia, meaning "the end", and the Hebrew Anaiah meaning "Yahweh has answered".
 
Familiar in England and Wales where it ranked in the Top 400 in a recent year, it also made its debut into the French charts in 2024, feeling in tune with the likes of Aaliyah, Alaya, and Amaya.

Anayah

 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 20)

Three Syllable Girl Names