3 Letter Girl Names

This name of the first recorded dynasty of ancient China is short and simple enough to make a possible Asian-American alternative to Mia and Tia. British-Filipino child star Xia Vigor has invigorated the name in the Philippines.

There are numerous English spelling variants of Zoe, but Zoi isn't simply a creative alternative. It's a modern Greek transcription with a slightly different pronunciation. 

A sweet and simple Japanese name with several possible meanings, depending on the kanji characters used.

Rey, a Ray-soundalike that has ranked on the boys' side for the past 15 years, is about to get more popular for girls too, now that it's the name of the new heroine of the latest Star Wars movie. While the sound of the name is nothing new, the royal connection is, joining names such as Reign (Kardashian) and Charlotte (the new Princess) in an expansive definition of <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/453/royal-baby-names">royal baby names</a>.

A great middle name option to honor a Kathryn. Coco Rocha used it for her daughter Iley's middle name.

Sam as a name standing on its own was given to only 18 girls in 2021, versus over 400 boys. But as a short form it's appealing and down-to-earth for both sexes, and heard far more often: There were over 2500 baby girls named Samantha in the US in one recent year and more than 8500 boys named Samuel, so you will hear the name Sam a lot more often than you might guess judging by the numbers for this short form. 

Like the wildly popular Charlie, Sam is a nickname that works equally well as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' name</a> as a boys'. All forms considered, Sam is still one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/baby-names-starting-with/s">names that start with S</a>.

Zoe is one of those popular names that's inspired many spelling variations, and Xoe is one of the new ones. A simple name sure to attract a lot of attention.

Leo is of course a very popular name for boys and an equally rare one for girls. But 28 baby girls were named Leo in the US last year, and as feminine leonine names such as Leonora and Leonia find more widespread popularity, Leo is popping up as an adorable short form for girls as well as boys.

Taj is a cool new name with ancient Eastern roots. While Taj can work for either sex, Taja might be a feminine alternative.

The Latin word for "goddess" makes for a rarer, but equally stylish, spin on Thea. It may also be a short form of names such as Medea, Amadea, Dorotea or Andrea.

An medieval English diminutive of Edith, which could make an unusual addition to simple vintage revivals like Eva, Ada and Ida. In Turkish, it means "well mannered".

Ala is the Igbo earth goddess whose symbol is the crescent moon. In a very different vein, Ala can be a diminutive for Alicja or Alexandra or really any other name with an A at both ends and an L in the middle. Ala is also an Arabic name meaning "excellence, supremacy"; could be confused as a homonym for Allah, or as part of a phrase like a la mode.

Evi is a charming feminine name with multiple cultural origins. In Greek, it's a diminutive of names like Evangeline or Genevieve, meaning 'life' or 'living one.' In Hebrew tradition, it connects to Eve (meaning 'life-giver'), while in Norse contexts, it relates to names meaning 'island.' This short, sweet name has gained popularity in recent decades for its simplicity and international appeal. Evi works well across language boundaries and fits the modern preference for brief, vowel-rich names. Its cross-cultural versatility and positive connotations of vitality make Evi increasingly popular among parents seeking a name that is both distinctive and accessible.

The original brief, breezy name is somewhat out of favor now even as a middle name. The Leigh spelling has more substance and is more identifiable as female.

A short, sweet name with plenty of substance, Ona is a multicultural choice, familiar in Spain, Lithuania, Egypt, and historically, in the US. Recent years have seen it reach the Catalonian Top 10 and the Spanish Top 100, while in the US, it hasn't appeared in the charts since the 1940s.
 
As a Lithuanian name, Ona is a variation of the classic Anna, giving it the meaning "grace", In this instance, it would be pronounced as o-NU (-U being like the u sound in up). 
 
From its Spanish and Catalan roots, it's both a short form of Mariona (itself a variation of Maria), and a word name, meaning "wave" in Catalan. Here, it would be said as O-nuh.
 
It can additionally be used as a short form of the Basque Andreona ("good lady"), and as a nickname for any Uzbek name with the element ona which means "mother" or "respected woman". Beyond that, it may be related to Iona, Winona, Simona, Onora, Verona, Alyona, and so on.

Very popular girls' name in Japan not quite as easy to transport westward as the also-popular Rin.

This simple, unisex Vietnamese name has multiple possible meanings, including "hero", "petal", "brave", and "bright", depending on the characters used to write it. A study in 2014 found the Anh was the most popular Vietnamese name. 

Alternative spelling of Jay, which coincides with a masculine name popular in South Asia.

Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders. 
 
Ray was used for 26 baby girls last year in the US - compared to over 300 boys. The Rae spelling is flipped, with almost 200 girls and a handful of boys. Ray is better appreciated as a sleek and simple middle name option - think Miley Ray Cyrus.

Three letter girl names boast two examples on the US Top 10, Ava and Mia.

girls' names with three letters popular in the US

 include Zoe, Eva, Ivy, Mya, Amy, Ana, and Lia.



The classics Ann and Eve are two of the most enduring

 on our recommended list include Bay, Bee, Fia, Kit, Liv, Lou, Paz, Poe, Sky, Taj, Una, and Zen.



Our full collection of three letter names for girls follows, organized by their current popularity on Nameberry.

Three Letter Girl Names with meanings, origin, and popularity, including top three letter names for girls like Ava and Mia and unique 3 letter baby girl names. (Page 6)