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190+ Cute One-Syllable Middle Names for Girls

Updated
These unique one-syllable middle names for girls are show-stoppers.

Middle names are just as important as first names, so why not welcome your newest addition with a name that complements her? We’ve curated a list of 194 of the best one-syllable middle names for girls.

Let your baby girl find her roots by learning the meaning, historical etymology, and cultural background of these single-syllable picks. We lovingly selected each one from around the world, so you have the most cohesive options.

From enduring favorites like Grace, to fairytale darlings like Belle, there’s a perfect match for every precious gem. Join us as we showcase 194 exquisite options!


52 Cute One-Syllable Middle Names for Girls

Here are the most common cute girls’ middle names with one-syllable.

  1. An – is a Sino-Vietnamese unisex name from the Chinese character “ān,” meaning “peace, quiet,” pronounced “UHN.”
  2. Ange – a popular French unisex form of Angelus (angel), from the Greek “ag’gelos,” meaning “messenger.”
  3. Bao – comes from the Chinese (pronounced POW), meaning “treasure, jewel, precious,” “honor, praise,” and the feminine “bud.”
  4. Bea – a diminutive of Beatrix, from the Latin Viator (voyager/traveler), or Beáta, from “beatus” (blessed).
  5. Bee – a phonetic diminutive of Beatrix (voyager/traveler); also from the English word “bee.”
  6. Bell – an English variant of the French Belle (beautiful) and a diminutive of Isabella (God of plenty).
  7. Bess – an English diminutive of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva (my God is plenty/God of plenty).
  8. Beth – a diminutive of Elizabeth (God of plenty), or Bethany, meaning “house of affliction/house of figs.”
  9. Bliss – is a surname and nickname rooted in the Old English “blisse,” (gladness/joy) or “blīths” (cheerful/blithe).
  10. Bree – stems from the Old Irish “bríg(h)” (might/power), a diminutive of Brianna, Gabriella, or Breanne.
  11. Britt – a diminutive of Brittany or the Scandinavian Birgitta (Bridget), from the Irish for “exalted one.”
  12. Cai – a unisex Chinese name meaning “wealth, money,” “cheer, applause,” or “artistic talent, literacy.”
  13. Cam – derives from the unisex Sino-Vietnamese character for “orange (fruit)”; a diminutive of Cameron (crooked nose).
  14. Cat – is an English word and a diminutive of Catherine, from the Greek name Aikaterine, possibly meaning “torture.”
  15. Chi – stems from Sino-Vietnamese for “branch,” or Western African Igbo (language) for “god, spiritual being.”
  16. Dee – a unisex diminutive of several D names; also Welsh from a Celtic root meaning “god, divine.”
  17. Dot – is a vintage English diminutive of Dorothy, from the Greek root “doron” (gift).
  18. Fawn – is the English word for a “young deer” from the French “faon.”
  19. Jae – is Sino-Korean for “riches, wealth” and “ability, talent”; also a variant of the English Jay.
  20. Jill – is a diminutive of Gillian, the English feminine form of Julian, meaning “downy-bearded.”
  21. Joan – was a medieval English feminine form of John and a variant of Johanne.
  22. Joy – ultimately derives from the Latin “gaudia” and is the English word for “gladness, happiness.”
  23. Jules – pronounced “ZHOOL” as the French form of Julius, but is also a diminutive of Julia, pronounced “JUULZ.”
  24. June – is a popular English name for the month derived from the Roman goddess Juno (young).
  25. Kim – boasts major worldwide popularity, from the English Cyne (royal) and the Sino-Vietnamese for “metal, gold.”
  26. Kin – is a unisex Chinese name meaning “gold,” “brocade,” “near,” “pleasure, delight,” “Chinese zither,” or “average.”
  27. Kit – a popular unisex diminutive of the male Christopher (bearing Christ) or feminine Katherine (torture/pure).
  28. Leaf – although rare, has roots in the Old English “lēof” (dear, beloved) and the Scandinavian Leif (heir).
  29. Liv – is the English diminutive of Olivia (olive tree), also from the Old Norse Hlif (protection).
  30. Liz – a diminutive of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva (my God is plenty/is an oath).
  31. Lou – is a popular diminutive of the French name Louise, from Louis, meaning “famous in battle.”
  32. Love – derives from the Old English “lufu” (love) and the Swedish form of Louis (famous in battle).
  33. Luz – is a highly popular Spanish name meaning “light.”
  34. Mae – from May, originates with the Latin word “maior” (greater), also Japanese for “true intelligence/eternity/favor.”
  35. Mel – a diminutive of Melanie (dark/black) or Melissa (bee), and is Portuguese for “honey.”
  36. Minh – is taken from the popular unisex Sino-Vietnamese “minh” (MING), meaning “bright.”
  37. Nell – was a medieval diminutive of Eleanor (the other Aenor), Ellen, and Helen (torch/corposant).
  38. Nurmeans “light” in Arabic and is the 137th most common name worldwide.
  39. Pam – a diminutive of Pamela (all sweetness), from the Greek “pan” (all) and “meli” (honey).
  40. Pao – is a Spanish diminutive of the Italian Paola, from Paul, meaning “little, small, humble.”
  41. Peg – comes from Peggy, a diminutive of Margaret, rooted in the Greek word for “pearl.”
  42. Pip – is a unisex English diminutive of Philip and Philippa, meaning “friend of horses.”
  43. Poe – a medieval nickname from the Old Norse “pá” (peacock), which also means “pearl” in Tahitian.
  44. Prue – is an English diminutive of Prudence, stemming from the Latin “prudens” (prudent/wise/skilled).
  45. Reese – means “ardor, enthusiasm,” Anglicized from the Old Welsh Ris.
  46. Ren – means “lotus” or “(romantic) love” in Japanese.
  47. Rue – a medical herb from the Greek “rhyte,”; also a diminutive of the Hebrew Ruth (friend).
  48. Sue – a diminutive of the Greek Susanna, from the Hebrew Shoshannah meaning “lily” and “rose” (modern).
  49. Tai – a unisex Chinese name meaning “extreme, very,” and Japanese for “big,” “enduring,” “peace(ful), calm.”
  50. Thi – pronounced “TEE,” means “poetry, verse” in Sino-Vietnamese; pronounced “THEE,” for “string” in Burmese.
  51. Un – is Japanese (pronounced “OON”) for “cloud,” and Lao (pronounced “UNG”) for “tranquil, warm.”
  52. Vi – a diminutive of the English Violet, a purple flower named for the Latin “viola.”

52 Beautiful Girls Middle Names With One-Syllable

Peruse the most popular, pretty, one-syllable middle names for girls.

  1. Anne – a highly popular French form of the Hebrew Anna, meaning “grace, favor.”
  2. Bellemeans “beautiful” in French; also a diminutive of Isabella, from the Hebrew Elisheva (God of plenty).
  3. Blair – derives from the Scottish Gaelic “blàr,” meaning “plain, field, battlefield,” and is unisex outside Scotland.
  4. Blaire – a feminine variant of Blair, from the Gaelic “blàr,” meaning “plain, field, battlefield.”
  5. Blanche – is a classic from a medieval French nickname meaning “fair, white.”
  6. Brooke – a variant of the English surname Brook denoting someone living near a small stream.
  7. Brynn – a feminine variant of the Welsh Bryn, meaning “hill, mound.”
  8. Cate – is an alternate diminutive of Katherine, possibly from the Greek “aikia” (torture) or “katharos” (pure).
  9. Cher – stems from the French word “chérie,” meaning “dear, beloved”; also a diminutive of Cheryl.
  10. Chère – derives from the feminine form of the French word for “dear, beloved.”
  11. Claire – is a French variant of Clara, the feminine form of the Latin Clarus, meaning “bright, clear.”
  12. Dawn – stems from the Old English “dagung,” meaning “daybreak, dawn.”
  13. Dove – is the English word for a white bird associated with peace.
  14. Dream – denotes images seen in the mind during sleep, from the Old English “drēam” (joy/music).
  15. Elle – is a diminutive of Eleanor from the Occitan Alienòr, also Greek for “light, sun ray.”
  16. Eve – means “living one,” likely from the Hebrew word “chayah’” (to live).
  17. Faith – comes from the English word meaning “devotion,” ultimately from the Latin “fidere” (to trust).
  18. Fay – derives from the Middle English “faie,” meaning “fairy,” from the Latin word “fata” (fate).
  19. Fern – has roots in the Old English word “fearn,” which refers to a plant.
  20. Fleur – means “flower” in French, but is used worldwide.
  21. Flor – means “flower” in Spanish and Portuguese; also a diminutive of Florencia (prosperous, flourishing).
  22. Gail – is a diminutive of the Hebrew Abigail, meaning “my father has made himself joyful.”
  23. Grace – stems from the English word turned virtue name, derived from the Latin “gratia” (grace/favor).
  24. Griet – is a diminutive of the Dutch Margriet, meaning “pearl,” and the Dutch word “daisy (flower).
  25. Gwen – is the Welsh feminine form of “gwyn” (blessed, white); often a diminutive of Gwendolen and Gwenhwyfar.
  26. Jane – is a medieval English form of the Old French Jehanne from Iohannes (Jehovah is gracious).
  27. Jeanne – the modern form of the Old French Jehanne, derived from Iohannes (Jehovah is gracious).
  28. Joyce – is highly popular, derived from the medieval Josse, a form of the Breton Judoc (lord).
  29. Kate – is a diminutive of Katherine, possibly meaning “each of the two,” “torture,” or “pure.”
  30. Lark – originates from the English word for a type of songbird.
  31. Leigh – has roots in the Old English word “leah,” meaning “meadow, woodland clearing.”
  32. Lynn – is an English surname from the Welsh “llyn” (lake); also a diminutive of Linda (soft/tender).
  33. Maude – is an English and French variant of Maud, a diminutive of Matilda (strength in battle).
  34. May – from the month named for the Roman goddess Maia, from the Latin word “maior” (greater).
  35. Merle – an English and Estonian diminutive of Muriel (pleasant hill) and Merrill, influenced by “merle” (blackbird).
  36. Moon – originates from the Old English “mōna,” denoting the Earth’s natural satellite; it also means “letters” in Korean.
  37. Niamh – is pronounced “NEEV” and means “bright” in Irish.
  38. Noor – a Dutch diminutive of Eleonora (the other Aenor) and a unisex variant of the Arabic Nur (light).
  39. Paige – derives from a surname meaning “servant, page” in Middle English, from the Greek “paidion” (little boy).
  40. Pearl – denotes a precious stone formed inside the shell of a mollusk, from the Latin “perla.”
  41. Rain – stems from the Old English word “regn” (rain); also related to the Germanic “regin” (counsel/advice).
  42. Rose – from the Norman Roese/Rohese and the Germanic Hrodohaidis (famous type), later associated with the flower.
  43. Ruth – is highly popular, rooted in the Hebrew word “re’ut” (friend/companion).
  44. Saint – a unisex English name from the Latin “sanctus” (holy).
  45. Siv – stems from the Old Norse Sif (SEEV), meaning “bride, kinswoman,” rooted in Norse mythology.
  46. Sky – is taken from the English word, derived from the Old Norse “ský” (cloud).
  47. Snow – from the Old English “snāw,” usually a surname or nickname for someone blond or pale.
  48. Star – ultimately stems from the Old English word “steorra” (star), denoting a celestial body.
  49. Tess – is the English and Dutch diminutive of Theresa from the Spanish-Portuguese Teresa (summer/harvest).
  50. Wynne – a feminine variant of Wyn, from the Welsh “gwyn,” meaning “white, blessed.”
  51. Yael – pronounced “ya-EHL” or “YAYL,” based on Gael (a Gaelic speaker) and the Hebrew Yoel and Jael.
  52. Yen – means “peaceful, calm” in Vietnamese, from the Chinese character “yên.”

50 Unique Short Middle Names for Girls

Find the meanings of these uncommon girl middle names with one-syllable.

  1. Ayn – was invented by the Russian-American author Ayn Rand (Alice Rosenbaum) based on a Finnish name.
  2. Bay – stems from the Old English Beaga (masculine) or Beage (feminine), from the word “beġ” (berry).
  3. Bette – a diminutive of Elizabeth (my God is plenty/an oath), pronounced “BEHT” and “BEH-tee.”
  4. Bex – a unisex diminutive of Rebecca, Beatrix, and other names with the “BEHK” sound.
  5. Bird – derives from the English surname Bird, denoting someone who raised or hunted birds.
  6. Björk – also spelled Björck, Bjørk, or Biörck, a Swedish surname and Icelandic feminine name meaning “birch.”
  7. Bloom – is English, meaning “to flower, to thrive,” from the Proto-Indo-European “bhleu-,” meaning “to swell (with growth).”
  8. Blythe – stems from the Old English surname Blythe, meaning “cheerful.”
  9. Ceil – a unisex English variant of the French Ciel (sky); also Latin-Old Welsh for “blind, sixth.”
  10. Clove – is English for a piece of garlic or type of dried spice; also short for Clover.
  11. Cree – ultimately originates from the Native American word “kiristino,” meaning “furtrader” or “huntsman.”
  12. Cruise – derives from an Anglo-Norman surname, possibly from “crus(e)” (brave/fierce).
  13. Day – derives from the Old English “dæġ,” ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to burn.”
  14. Flick – a rare diminutive of Felicity; also from the English word denoting a “jerk, sudden movement.”
  15. Flo – short for Florence, from the Latin “florens” (prosperous/flourishing), or Flora, from the Latin “flos” (flower).
  16. Flow – a variant of Flew, from the Middle English “flue,” denoting a fisherman, or short for Florence.
  17. Gae – a variant of Gay, from the English word meaning “joyful, happy, glad.”
  18. Gem – a diminutive of Gemma from the Latin “gemma” (precious stone/jewel).
  19. Gol – pronounced “GOHL,” is Persian for “flower, rose” and is spelled Gül (GOOL) in Turkish.
  20. Greer – is unisex, from a Scottish surname derived from Gregor, meaning “alert, watchful.”
  21. Gwynne – an English feminine variant of Gwyn, Welsh for “white, blessed.”
  22. Haze – derives from Hazel or Hayes, which is Old English from “hæg” (fence/enclosure) or Irish-Gaelic.
  23. Hla – is a unisex Burmese name pronounced “LA,” meaning “pretty, favorable.”
  24. Jael – stems from the Hebrew Ya’el, meaning “ibex, mountain goat,” pronounced “ya-EHL” and (in American-English) “JAYL.”
  25. Joss – is a unisex diminutive of Jocelyn from the Germanic “gautaz,” denoting the tribe of the Geats.
  26. Kait – is Scottish-English short for Kaitrin and Kaitlyn; also a direct variant of the diminutive Kate.
  27. Lace – a feminine name from a French location and a Latvian surname rooted in “lācis” (bear).
  28. Lake – denotes someone dwelling by a lake, from the Old English “lacu” (body of water).
  29. Lane – stems from an English surname, meaning “lane, path,” from the Old English “lán” (strip of land).
  30. Maeve – pronounced “MAYV,” stems from the Irish Medb, meaning “she who intoxicates, mead-woman.”
  31. March – derives from the month named for the Roman god Mars, possibly “manly” or “warlike.”
  32. Mave – a variant of Maeve, from the Irish Medb, meaning “she who intoxicates, mead-woman.”
  33. Maze – from the French feminine form of “mas”; a masculine variant of the Breton Mazhe (Matthew).
  34. Neve – a popular English form of the Irish Niamh (NEEV), meaning “bright.”
  35. North – denotes the cardinal direction of “north” in English.
  36. Nyx – means “night” in Greek, denoting an ancient Greek goddess who personifies the night.
  37. Prim – an English diminutive of Primrose, from the Latin for “first rose.”
  38. Quill – is short for the Latin Aquila (eagle), also from the English “quill” (feather shaft/reed fragment).
  39. Reeve – stems from the surname Reeve, from the Old English “(ge)refa” (bailiff/sheriff/local official).
  40. Reign – means “sovereign, royal power,” from the English word “reign,” ultimately from the Latin “regnum.”
  41. Roux – is unisex, from a surname rooted in the Old French “ros” and Latin “russus” (red).
  42. Shae – a unisex variant of Shea, an Anglicization of the Irish-Gaelic Séaghdha (fine/favorable/learned).
  43. Shay – an Anglicization of the Irish-Gaelic Séaghdha (fine/learned); also a variant of Hebrew Shai (gift).
  44. Sloane – stems from the Irish surname Ó Sluaghadháin, meaning “descendent of the little warrior/fighter/raider.”
  45. Spring – denotes a season, from the Old English word “springan,” meaning “to leap, to burst forth.”
  46. Swan – from the Middle-Old English “swon(e), swān” (swineherd/male servant); also denotes the “swan (bird).”
  47. Teal – stems from the English word for a greenish-blue hue or a kind of duck.
  48. Trix – a diminutive of the Latin-derived Beatrix and Beatrice, meaning “voyager” or “blessed voyager.”
  49. True – is unisex, from a word denoting “fact,” “faithfulness,” and “genuineness,” from the Old English “trīewe.”
  50. Wren – is the English word for a type of small songbird rooted in the Old English “wrenna.”

40 Cool One-Syllable Middle Names for Girls

Here are some cool short middle names for girls.

  1. Ash – derives from the Hebrew Asher, meaning “happy,” but also denotes the “ash tree” in English.
  2. Beck – means “stream” in German, English, and Scandinavian and is a diminutive of Rebecca (join).
  3. Blaine – stems from a Scottish surname derived from the Old Irish Bláán (little yellow one).
  4. Blake – is unisex, from the Old English “blæc” (black) or “blac” (pale).
  5. Blue – from the Norman word for the color, a cognate with the Old English “blaw” (blue).
  6. Brett – a unisex transfer of the Middle English surname, meaning “a Breton/from Brittany.”
  7. Cass – a diminutive of the English-Greek Cassandra (to excel/shine) and the English-Irish Cassidy (curly-haired).
  8. Cruz – a unisex Spanish and Portuguese forename from a surname meaning “cross.”
  9. Dale – is unisex, though vintage for girls, derived from an English surname meaning “valley, dale.”
  10. Dune – stems from the Middle Dutch “dūne,” meaning “sand hill,” and is gender-neutral.
  11. Fran – a diminutive of names beginning with “fran,” rooted in the Germanic element “frankô” (a Frank).
  12. Gray – is unisex, transferred from an English surname meaning “gray (haired).”
  13. Jade – a precious stone, from the Spanish phrase “pierda de la ijada” (stone of the flank).
  14. Jinx – a variant of Jynx and English for a “charm, spell,” from the Greek “iynx” (wryneck).
  15. Jo – a unisex diminutive of Joan, Josephine, Joanna, and other names starting with Jo-.
  16. Jude – a variant of the Hebrew Judas (lauded) and a diminutive of Judith, meaning “Jewish woman.”
  17. Kai – an Estonian diminutive of Kaia, from Katarina (torture/pure); also means “sea” in Hawaiian.
  18. Kay – is a popular English diminutive of Katherine (pure/torture).
  19. Kris – a unisex diminutive of Kristina and Kristian (a Christian/anointed), and other Kris names.
  20. Lee – derives from a surname and the Old English “leah,” meaning “meadow, woodland clearing.”
  21. Leith – from a surname based on a Scottish town, from the Gaelic “lìte” (wet, damp).
  22. Lux – is unisex, from the Latin word “lux,” meaning “light.”
  23. Paxmeans “peace” in Latin and denotes the goddess of peace in Roman mythology.
  24. Paz – means “peace” in Spanish, where it is feminine, and “gold” in Hebrew, where it is unisex.
  25. Peace – stems from the English word derived from the Latin “pax” (peace).
  26. Quinn – derives from the Irish-Gaelic Ó Cuinn, rooted in Old Irish “conn” (sense/wisdom) or “cenn” (chief).
  27. Rae – an English diminutive of the Hebrew name Rachel (ewe/female sheep) or a feminine form of Ray.
  28. Rayne – a variant of Rain and the surname Raine, from the French word “reine” (queen).
  29. Rei – is Japanese for “bell,” “tinkling of jade,” and “beautiful,” and Hebrew (masculine) for “friend, companion.”
  30. Sage – a unisex option from the English “sage,” denoting a spice or wise person.
  31. Sam – a masculine Persian name meaning “fire” and a unisex diminutive of Samantha and Samuel.
  32. Scout – from an English word denoting a spy, from the Old French “escouter” (to listen).
  33. Skye – denotes the “island of clouds,” in Scottish, from the Old Norse “ský” (cloud).
  34. Sol – a feminine Spanish-Portuguese name meaning “sun” and a diminutive of the Hebrew Solomon (peace).
  35. Starr – a variant of Star, from the Old English “steorra,” denoting a celestial body.
  36. Storm – stems from Old English and Old Dutch, ultimately from the Old Norse “stormr” (tempest/storm).
  37. Vale – from the English “(wide) valley” and is a modern variant of the Norse Váli.
  38. Viv – a unisex diminutive of Vivian from the Latin Vivianus (alive).
  39. Zen – an English unisex name based on the Japanese-Chinese word for “silent meditative state, goodness.”
  40. Zo – denotes a spiritual leader, from an Igbo language word meaning “protect, save.”

One-Syllable Middle Names FAQs

What Is the Best Short Name for a Girl?

Although tastes are subjective, the best short middle name for a girl is considered timeless, catchy, simple, and wholesome. That makes Grace a top pick among one-syllable middle names for girls. This virtue name is versatile enough to complement a wide range of first names.

Many agree that Grace implies goodwill and elegance. Ultimately derived from the Latin word “gratia,” Grace has the wholesome meaning of “blessing, favor, thankful.” A popular choice long before the 1900s, its appeal stretches across many cultures as it’s also easy to pronounce (1). Grace is so beloved it ranks 148th worldwide (2).

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About the Author

Leigha Mayers

Leigha-Ceres Mayers is a freelance editor and copywriter from Trinidad and Tobago. Previously a primary school assistant teacher, she went on to acquire a TESOL certification before transitioning to freelancing. Outside of researching baby names, Leigha works alongside her husband, producing and publishing romance sci-fi and fantasy books. As a mum of two, she uses what little spare time she has to create traditional and digital works of art. Her other hobbies include voracious reading, watching anime, and learning new languages.