Girl Names Lists · Name Spellings, Initials and Sounds
Best One Syllable Girl Names
Across 13 pages
of 13
Lux
Latin
"light"
This name of a character played by Kirsten Dunst in the movie Virgin Suicides , originally a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, is gaining attention, also thanks to the heroine Lux, Lady of Luminosity in…
Lynn
Diminutive of Linda, English, Welsh
"pretty, soft, tender; lake"
Lynn arrived in the 1940s, spinning off from the wildly popular Linda to become a top mid-century middle (and first) name, ranking at #58 during its 1956 peak. Now, however, Lynn is out of the…
Lynx
Animal name
This big cat name is especially striking with its X ending.
Mai
Japanese, French, Welsh, Vietnamese, Navajo
"dance; May; cherry blossom; coyote"
Cross-cultural winner.
Mame
Diminutive of Mary or Margaret
Has a dotty, antic feel via dotty, antic Auntie Mame.
March
English word name
"month name"
March has never been popular as a month name, possibly because of its slightly abrupt sound. But with all kinds of month (and season, day, and holiday) names, from January to December, Sunday to…
Maude
English and French diminutive of Matilda, German
"battle-mighty"
Maude, also spelled Maud, is a lacy, mauve-tinted name that was wildly popular a hundred years ago, but has been rarely heard in the past fifty. Some stylish parents are starting to choose it again,…
Max
Latin
"greatest"
If Sam can make it as a girl's name, why not Max? Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's eldest daughter Maxima goes by Max, but you could also use it as a short form for Maxine, Maximilienne or even…
Meg
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
Mel
Diminutive of Melanie
"black, dark"
Not one but two Spice Girls are named Mel, which led to it briefly being more popular for girls than boys in the 90s and early 00s, but it has now fallen out of favor for both sexes.
Merle
French
"blackbird"
A sleek, smooth, understated name off the grid in the US but among the Top 100 girl names in Germany. In the US, it is a unisex name, while in Germany and the Netherlands, it is predominantly…
Mim
Diminutive of Miriam
A hum of a name occasionally heard. Madame Mim was a villain in Disney's "The Sword in the Stone."
Min
Chinese
"quick"
Puts the -min in diminutive.
Mo
Diminutive of Maureen, Irish variation of Mary, Hebrew
"bitter"
Mo is a punchy, unisex nickname with endless versatility, from Maureen to Morgan to the British favorite Imogen. Its simplicity and charm make it a modern pick for parents embracing minimalist names…
Moll
Short form of Molly, diminutive of Mary, Hebrew or Egyptian"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Moll is one of those names that is used all the time as a nickname for a nickname, but rarely put on the birth certificate. Moll Flanders is an eponymous 18th century novel by Daniel Defoe, the…
Nan
English, diminutive of Nancy
Bobbsey Twins-era nickname name that could find new life via Nan, heroine of The Nanny Diaries. Nan was also the nickname of Annabel St George, the protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel "The…
Neal
Irish
"cloud"
An Irish classic for boys that has a streamlined, surnamey, unisex appeal in this spelling.
Nell
English, diminutive of Helen, Eleanor, et al
"bright, shining one"
Nell, once a nickname for Helen, Ellen, or Eleanor, is a sweet old-fashioned charmer that is fashionably used today in its own right. While Nell is perfectly in tune with contemporary vintage name…
Neve
Anglicized spelling of Irish Niamh or Italian and Portuguese
"snow"
Introduced to the American public by actress Neve Campbell; it was her Dutch-born mother's maiden name. Neve is an interesting and fresh new possibility, one which Conan O'Brien chose for his…
Niamh
Irish Gaelic
"bright"
Niamh, derived from the Old Irish Niam, is an ancient Irish name that was originally a term for a goddess. In Irish myth, one who bore it was Niamh of the Golden Hair, daughter of the sea god, who…