Three Syllable Girl Names

Cecily is as dainty as a lace handkerchief. Cecily has a wide assortment of namesakes. One Cecily was the mother of King Richard III, whose beauty gained her the title "the Rose of Raby," Cecily Parsley is a Beatrix Potter bunny, Cecily Cardew is a character in The Importance of Being Earnest, and the author of the Gossip Girl books is Cecily von Ziegesar.
 Sisters of Cecily that may also interest you: Cecilia, Cicely, and Celestia. Variant Cicely has a distinguished bearer in actress Cicely Tyson and was used by Sandra Bernhard for her now grown daughter..

Cecily

The popular appeal of the strong, intelligent Saint Teresa of Avila, combined with the selfless compassion of the more recent Mother Teresa, have fused to give this second-tier classic a somewhat noble, religious image. Although the origins of the name are uncertain, it has been prevalent particularly in forms Theresa, Teresa, and Therese throughout Europe for centuries. 
 Mother Teresa was born Anjeze/Agnese Gonxhe; when taking her vows, she chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, but because another nun in the convent had already chosen that name, she opted for the Spanish spelling Teresa.
 A Top 100 name until the 1960s, reaching Number 32 in 1956, Theresa fell off the list completely in 2011, while the sleeker Teresa still holds at Number 719; it was as high as Number 18 from 1961 to 1963.
 Currently, a leading character on The Mentalist is Teresa Lisbon.
 Short forms Tess,Tessa, Tressa, or Tea are more popular now than the old Terry or Tracy. An interesting variation is Tereza, as in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Mia Farrow's sister Theresa is known as Tisa.

Theresa

Spelled with either one 'l' or two, Calista came to the fore in 1997 when Calista Flockhart hit it big as Ally McBeal. Flockhart, who bears her mother's middle name, didn't just introduce a name, she introduced a whole sensibility. Pretty and delicate, Calista is definitely worthy of consideration, especially for parents with Greek roots. 
 In ancient myth, Calista (or Calisto)was a nymph loved by Zeus, whose jealous wife Hera turned her into a bear.
 
Nicknames Callie (or Cali), Cassie, Calla, Issy, Lissy, or Kit add extra appeal.

Calista

Irina is a Russian ballet-inflected classic, one of the Three Sisters in the Chekhov play.  While some Americans will pronounce this like Irene with three syllables, the pronunciation used throughout Europe, where it's widely used, starts with a short i as in it or if and a strong emphasis on the second syllable.

Irina

Daintily pretty without being frilly, Larissa is familiar but more quietly used than its sound-alikes Melissa and Alyssa. Though this is the more common variation in the Western World, the original is actually Larisa.
 And though it may sound like a typical Edwardian/Victorian appellation, Larissa was hardly heard here before 1967, which was two years after the release of the hit film Doctor Zhivago, whose heroine was Larissa, called Lara, the inspiration for the haunting 'Lara's Theme.'
 In Greek mythology, Larissa (or Larisa) was a nymph who was a daughter of Pegasus and loved by Mercury. A moon of Neptune was named after the mythological figure in 1991, giving the name an astronomy connection too. 
 In terms of its meaning, the name likely derives from an Ancient Greek city whose name meant "citadel" or "fortress", however, other possibilities include that it comes from the Greek ilarós meaning "cheerful", from láros the Ancient Greek for gull or seamew, or from "lárix meaning "larch tree". The "citadel" meaning is generally more accepted however. 
 In 2023, Larissa was one of the fastest rising choices in England and Wales, and it could make an attractive yet underused choice that might appeal to parents wanting something rarer than Melissa but gentler than Clarissa.

Larissa

Unlike its somewhat formal Swiss city namesake, this is a lively and appealing place-name that also has a real history as a female name. 
 Geneva was a relatively popular American name at one time: it reached as high as Number 107 in 1919, and remained in the Top 200 until 1942. Geneva was the middle name of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, and is the name of a leading character on The Good Wife.

Geneva

A long-integrated French feminine form of Adrian, now overshadowed by the a-ending version, but still a valid option, with considerable substance and dignity—though these days more parents would probably choose Adriana.
 Adrienne Rich was an influential twentieth-century poet. Princess Madeleine of Sweden and her American husband Chris O'Neill named their third child Adrienne, giving it fresh royal gloss.

Adrienne

Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow their lead. Actor Thomas Gibson used it for his daughter in 2004.
 Popular in the middle ages, Agatha was brought to England at the time of the Norman Conquest by a daughter of William the Conquerer. Agatha is the name of the patron saint of firefighters and nurses, and in more modern times has been closely tied to the period mysteries of Agatha Christie. P.G. Wodehouse created the vivid character of Bertie Wooster's daunting Aunt Agatha.
 Agatha also boasts the cute nickname Aggie. The French version, Agathe, is tres chic there.

Agatha

Euphonious and long stylish in England, India was one of the fastest-rising names on the 2013 list, after jumping 240 spots back into the Top 1000.
 
Gorgeous as it may be, the usage of India as a name has distinctly imperial roots, making it a loaded (and ill-advised) choice for someone without Indian heritage.
 
India was a character in Gone with the Wind, the sister of Ashley Wilkes, and more recently was picked for the daughters of singer Sarah McLachlan, actress Heather Thomas, and Avenger Chris Hemsworth.
 
India Hicks is a high-profile ex-model with ties to the royal family, and the mother of a girl called Domino. Singer India.Arie was born India Arie — without the period.

India

Lucinda, an elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his 1605 novel Don Quixote, is a pleasingly pretty alternative to Lucy. It was subsequently used by Moliere in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself' (1666). More in tune with the times than Linda, Belinda and Melinda, it could be used to honor someone with one of those dated names. 
 Lucinda was a Top 200 name in the late nineteenth century, but hasn't been on the charts for more than 25 years--which could make her ripe for revival.
 One appealing namesake is country-rock-blues singer Lucinda Williams. Similar in feel: Lucilla and Lucetta.

Lucinda

Adding a final a to Tamar lends it a more sensual Slavic tone, making it a more popular choice than the original. 

Tamara

Belinda, cousin of Linda and Melinda, enjoyed a brief return to the Top 1000 from 2005 through 2013, only to fall off again in 2014. A name that some may consider a modern spin on the midcentury popularity queen Linda is in fact a classic with deep and fascinating roots. In Babylonian mythology Belinda was the goddess of heaven and earth, and the name later was used for the heroine of Alexander Pope's satirical poem The Rape of the Lock.
 One of Belinda's meanings is 'beautiful snake' (coined at a time when snakes were a sacred symbol of wisdom and immortality) and it still does seem to have a certain lingering serpentine charm.
 Belinda entered the US popularity lists in 1940, and went on to reach Number 142 in 1961. Both Maria Edgeworth and Anne Rice wrote eponymous novels called Belinda.
 Belinda Carlisle was the lead vocalist in "The Go-Go's."

Belinda

A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne, named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen.

 The meaning of Marie 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).

Marianne

Combining the mild and the innocent, this sweet and feminine name is worthy of a comeback, in the mode of Madeline and Cecilia. Its original, also attractive form is Melisende, which came from Germany to France and was borne by a daughter of Charlemagne.
 Millicent has been in use since the Middle Ages, and was in the Top 500 in the 1920's. Off the list since the early sixties, it's Number 361 on Nameberry.
 Millicent Hargrave is a character in Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Millicent Henning is found in Henry James's The Princess Casamassima, and she appears not once but twice in Harry Potter; she is is also Barbie's middle name. And of course Milly is one of the cutest of the nostalgic nickname names.

.

Millicent

With strong sounds but a whimsical feel, Reverie is a word name associated with being in a dreamy, ethereal state, of being lost in a daydream, or coming up with a pleasant fantasy for the future. Similar in cadence to popularly Everly, it was given to around 80 girls in a recent year.
 
Writer and parenting blogger Rebecca Woolf was well ahead of the trends when she named one of her daughters Reverie back in 2011, a twin to Boheme and sister to Fable and Archer.

Reverie

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into non-literary use in the 1840's, peaking in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s: Melinda was a Top 100 name from 1967 to 1980. It began to fade as nickname Mindy ascended. Nowadays, however, Melinda feels more contemporary than cousins Melissa, Mindy, Belinda and Linda.
Melinda is a name fashioned from two common elements in girls' names. Mel means honey or honeybee, or alternatively dark, and is found as an element in such names as Melissa and Pamela. Linda means beautiful.
 Melinda was the name of the lead character played by Jennifer Love Hewitt in Ghost Whisperer; her most prominent modern bearer is philanthropist Melinda Gates. If you don't like the nickname Mindy, you could go with Mel, Lin, or Lindy.

Melinda

This variation on the Julia theme has stayed in play due to the popularity of Julianne Moore, though it now sits at the bottom of the US Top 1000.

Julianne

Annabel is a spirited name that embodies quirky British gentility. Appearing in Scotland as early as the twelfth century, where it was a royal name, it also recalls the romantic Edgar Allan Poe poem Annabel Lee, written upon the death of his young wife, Virginia.
 In the Swinging Sixties, Annabel was in the thick of things as the name of London's trendiest disco and nightclub, named for the wife of the owner. The Annabel spelling is preferable today to Annabelle, too closely associated with the eponymous horror movie doll.

Annabel

Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/325/mythological-baby-names-for-girls">mythology names for girls</a> that might appeal to adventurous feminist parents. With Juno and Jupiter, she made the Capitoline triad, whose worship was at the very center of Roman religion.
 
Minerva Pott is a character in Dickens's novel Pickwick Papers. In Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall is a Witch and Deputy Headmistress of Hogswarts, and in the Artemis Fowl books, Minerva Paradizo is equally intellectual. There's also a series of kids' mystery books centering around a Minerva Clark.
 
Minerva was a Top 500 name through the early 1920s, last appearing on the list in 1973. It's well liked on Nameberry though—currently at Number 417. Nickname Minnie fits right in with the other currently stylish vintage nickname names. Curiously, though, actress Minnie Driver was not born Minerva, but Amelia.

Minerva

Three syllable girl names can make pleasing companions for one or two syllable last names. Three syllable names for girls strike a good balance between short, clipped names and the longer, more mellifluous names that have dominated over the past several years.

Three syllable girl names popular in the US

 include Sophia, former Number One name Emily, along with Evelyn, Madeline, and Eleanor. The two favorite names of the 80s and 90s, Jennifer and Jessica, are of course prime three syllable names for girls.

 trending today include Elowen, Zaria, and Winifred. Other 

 for girls that we love are Tabitha, Susannah, and Helena.

Nameberry includes over 10,000 three-syllable names for girls -- you can see the 

 here. Or you can zero in on the very best three syllable girl names gathered on this list.

Three Syllable Girl Names including popular three-syllable names like Sophia and Emily and rare three-syllble girl names such as Ione and Zaria, with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 7)

270 Best Three Syllable Girl Names