Names ending in ia

Eustacia, the ancestor of mid-century fave Stacy, is just the kind of fusty old relic that might be polished up for modern use. Eustacia Vye is the central character of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native.

An ancient Roman name that has never made it into the modern world.

Anastasia is a lovely yet very long name, and Stasia is a fresher, classier short form than Stacy.

This spelling makes Julia worldly and distinctive.

Moria was a nymph, sister of Tylus, who played a role in a very complicated story involving a serpent and a life-giving plant. It sounds like and will often be mistaken for the name Mariah, as in Carey.

Attractive international Stephanie alternative. Estefania ranks in the Top 100 in Puerto Rico.

The origins of this rare name are shrouded in mystery. Ismeria is an obscure figure in European Christian legend, sometimes purported to be the great-aunt of Jesus Christ, who is connected to the devotion of the Black Madonna.

This is the Italian way to say Venice -- Ven-ETZ-ee-a -- but you might also opt for the softer Venetia or Venice itself.

Letizia is a pretty Latin variation of Letitia; it's one of those Italian names for girls that makes the more familiar version feel less prissy and more appealing. Letizia was the first name of Napoleon's mother.

The more familiar spelling Natalia currently sits much further up the list and has even made two brief appearances in the Top 100 during the last decade. Nathalia on the other hand has never been a particularly popular choice. The name has floated on and off the Top 1000 charts over the last 2 decades, favored especially by Hispanic and Latin American parents.

Too close to nausea.

Accalia was the human foster-mother of twins Romulus and Remus. Her name is even more obscure than theirs.

Variant of Annemarie

One of the more prominent by-products of reality TV, via Disney.

This variant of the more-difficult Afua, from the Akan language of what is now Ghana in West Africa, is a traditional "day name" that can make a perfectly pretty modern choice.

This evocative Spanish surname would make an unusual but lively choice for a girl.