Names ending in a

Larsa was the name of a city-state in Sumer, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. It is occasionally used as a baby name in Arabic-speaking cultures, as well as in Sweden, where Larsa is a feminization of Lars.

A striking form of international favourite Maria, the meaning of which is uncertain. Theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

Common transcription of Maria throughout Europe.

Rare and rhythmic.

An Ethiopian name that means "joy."

Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree.

Lenia is part Lena and part Leni, a full name that started life as a short form of most any name ending or beginning with a Len sound. While Lena was used for more than 1000 baby girls in the US last year and Leni was used for nearly 100, Lenia was given to fewer than five. But Lenia is one of the most popular baby girl names in Switzerland.

Aglaea, sometimes spelled Aglaia, is one of the Three Graces or Charities. She represented beauty and splendor: ironic, given that the main barrier to her name making a comeback is that it sounds like ugly.

Irish name with an intriguing lilt.

The first bride on "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire." -- not the classiest of names.

Columbia is a rarely used name with many associations. From the eighteenth century it has been used as a female personification of the United States, often appearing as a flag-draped patriotic figure. And as such it's inspired a plethora of place and company names, from the District of Columbia to Columbia University to Columbia Records, and songs like "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." A character called Columbia appears in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If you can get past the unintuitive J (it's pronounced like a Y), Fjolla is a perky and attractive girl name. It is derived from the Albanian word for snowflake, fjollë, and is most common in Kosovo.