Names ending in ia

The "Tz" beginning of Tzofia represents the Hebrew letter tzadi, which is pronounced more like ts. So Tzofia sounds like Sofia with a light t at the beginning — intriguing, but a difficult sound for a native English speaker to reproduce. While Tzofia is a distinct name from the megapopular Sophia and Sofia, many people will hear it as a cognate and pronounce it the same...or like Zofia.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan.

Parthenia may be a bit unwieldy, but does conjure up majestic images of the Parthenon.

Name of mythological fiend who seduced young men and then ate them, which inspired the Keats poem "Lamia." Described in mythology as a snake with the head and breasts of a woman, this name has been considered in modern times as a vampire name. And if all that isn't discouraging enough, there's the "lame" connection.

Tania is a Russian name that has been fully integrated into the American name pool, retaining just a touch of its Slavic flavor. It started as a pet form of Tatiana, which is beginning to be used in this country as well. Also spelled Tanya, as in country singer Tanya Tucker.

Invidia's meaning isn't very pleasant — as a Roman goddess, she was the personification of envy. However, Invidia has the sounds of an attractive name, not unlike Olivia.

Nazia is a name seen in both Pakistan and India, which derives from the word naaz, meaning pride. It may be difficult to introduce this name into the West, given the first four letters, which is unfortunate given its lovely meaning. Nazia Hassan (a singer, lawyer and social activist) was probably the most famous woman with this name.

Popular name in Spain drawn from the Provencal Mireio, coined by the poet Frederic Mistral. Very pretty and, though difficult to spell and pronounce, simpler than the French version.

Laetitia adds a layer of ancient patina to the more prosaic LETITIA.

This is an eighteenth century elaboration of Honor found in Charles Dickens (Bleak House) but rarely heard here and now.

Although Gracia is the literal Spanish translation of Grace and is used as the Grace equivalent in Spanish-speaking countries, where it's pronounced grah-see-a, it's also a long-time if unusual Grace variation pronounced gray-sha. You might consider Gracia if Grace is getting too commonplace for you.

This and two other female forms -- AQUILA and AQUILINA -- of the Roman family name Aquilius might live on in modern times.

Most names that start with Cam- are on the upswing, so why not this obscure term for Wales as well as for a prehistoric time period.

A fresher, feistier Italian variant of Marcia.

More uncommon and powerful than garden varieties like Rose and Lily. Named for Scottish botanist Dr Alexander Garden.

A genus of flowering plants in the fern family. The plant’s seed pods resemble little silver moons, hence the "Luna" related name. Lunaria is also another word for the mineral moonstone.