Dog Names That Start With A

Almond may seem like a hippy modern name, but its use for American boys goes right back to the mid-nineteenth century. In these cases, it was either a variation of Almund, meaning "noble strength," or the surname Aleman, meaning "German."

Obscure form of an old-fashioned favorite that's poised to make a comeback. This version, which owes as much to Alison as to Louisa, has a stylish A beginning and a multi-syllabic feminine grace.

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

An appealing Hindi name borne by Mindy Kahling's architect father Avu Chokalingam. She bestowed it on her son Spencer as a middle name in 2020.

Slavic diminutive of Anna

Bright and bold traditionally masculine name used in Israel.

This variation of Ahmad is one of the most popular Arabic names among Muslim families the world over and is now the most used spelling in the USA. It shares the same root as other popular Arabic names, including Muhammad and Hamid.

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.

While this name is a phonetic variant of Amaya and Amaia, its popularity could also stem from its similarity to names such as Aliyah, Amelia, and Amara too. It entered the US Top 1000 back in 2003, peaked in 2017 at #257, but has been on decline in recent years. Nevertheless, it is one of four variations of Amaia in the Top 1000 and when you combine these names together, they were collectively given to 3256 babies in a recent year, making the name *feel* or at least *sound* like a Top 100 choice, similarly popular to Ruby, Claire, Audrey, or Alice.

One of the sweet simple unisex names balanced enough to stand on its own.

Akari is a gender-neutral Japanese name used fairly evenly between the sexes in the US.

One way to spin grandma Helen or Ellen's name off the beaten track. The legendary Azenor was a tragic 6th century Breton princess who was mother to a saint. This personage also may be known as Senara.

Ax makes a somewhat threatening short form of the popular Axel, given to more than 3000 baby boys last year. It can also be used on its own, though it usually isn't. There were, however, seven baby boys named Axe in the US in 2015.

Ailla is a name with many possible derivations, including Cornish (possibly meaning "beautiful"), French (deriving from Ailler, meaing Garlic), Finnish (related to Helga) and Turkish (where it may have a meaning connected to moonlight). None of these derivations are very clear; what is certain is that Ailla is a name with a beautiful sound and an international flavor.

Arch can be used as a nickname for Archibald or a stand-alone word name — perhaps for the child of an architect.

Spelling variation of Ava, perhaps influenced by the biblical-style, ends-in-H names currently trending: Delilah, Alayah, Aniyah, et al. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2008 where it remained for 14 years, peaking in 2018 when it was given to nearly 680 girls. Now in decline, it was given to around 230 girls in 2023.

A popular choice in Finland, where it ranks among the Top 50 boy names.

Cute nickname of Angela and other angelic names, Angie is now being used on its own, although its popularity has fallen in recent years. That said, Angie is one of those surprising classics, hanging on in the girls' Top 1000 continuously since its inception in 1880.