Names ending in a

Whether you take this as a female form of the mythical wanderer's name Odysseus or a spin on the place name Odessa makes a huge difference. But both names have that potential playground problem of the initial Od- syllable, as in odor.

St Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr who was killed after refusing to renounce her Christian faith in order to marry. Her name may derive from Kythere ("the red one"), a title of the Phonecian mother-goddess Astarte, perhaps via Greek Kythereia, an epithet of Aphrodite. The French version is Quitterie.

As Joaquin enters the American mainstream, his sister might just follow.

Made famous by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose parents fashioned her name from a musical term meaning "with sweetness".

Maristella is used as a "smoosh" name in Greek, typically with Maria Stella or Maria Styliane on the official birth certificate. Maristella can also stem from the Latin words Maris and Stella, meaning sea and star. Maristela is the equally evocative Spanish and Portuguese equivalent.

Lovely Japanese choice that would translate well cross-culturally.

Variant of Hortensia, an unusual floral name and the name of a secondary character in Roald Dahl's Matilda.

A super-popular name in its native Lithuania: Top 10 there from 2003-2017 and just outside the Top 10 now. Austėja is the Lithuanian goddess of bees.

A rare and refined name, which could make for a surprising route to cute nickname Connie.

A simple and attractive feminization of the Nordic name Finn.

Actress Flockhart popularized the C version, but this works, too.

As a name for boys, Esra is usually considered a spelling variation of the Biblical Ezra. Esra has a separate life as a Turkish girls' name.

Akka is the name of the female spirit in Finnish mythology.

For those looking for a name that connects to their Nepali heritage, Omya is a name that translates well.

Lyrica has a nice, melodious sound — which is exactly what Pfizer thought when coming up with their trade name for the drug Pregabalin.

Elatha is the god of the Moon in Irish mythology. The contemporary Irish spelling would be Ealadha.