Names ending in a

Symbolic name given to girls born on TuB'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

One of the warm and earthy Russian nickname names now coming into style. Denzel Washington is the father of a Katia.

A recent coinage in English, perhaps created as a variation to Anya/Anja and Aaliyah. In Arabic, the name can mean "vessel", "pinnacle" or "helper".

A pretty Thai name famously borne by Thai musical artist Lisa (full name: Lalisa Manoban), whose name was changed in childhood from Pranpriya to Lalisa after she had her fortune told.

Chara is the name of a star in a constellation that represents hunting dogs, recently named as one of the most likely to host extraterrestrial life. Also, Chara is a variation of both Sarah and Charlotte.

Turkish and Bosnian form of the Arabic name Asma, with the powerful meaning of "supreme".

An Indian name used to describe some of the tenets of Buddhism, such as the Four Noble Truths (catvary arya satyani) or The Noble Eightfold Path (arya marga). It can also simply be a spelling variation of Aria, making it a cultural crossover name with both style and substance.

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that should be ripe for rediscovery.

Bell-like and original.

Phonetic spelling of the Muslim Aanisah, chosen by singer Macy Gray for one of her daughters.

Ersa, daughter of Zeus and the moon goddess Selene, is goddess of the morning dew, which may make this an excellent name for a child born in the early hours of the day.

Diantha, a mythological flower of the supreme Greek god Zeus, is a melodious and more unusual cousin of Diana, heard most often in The Netherlands.

Trending down, along with others of both the Car and the issa groups.

How can a strong simple name like Cera remain so uncommon? Only five baby girls were named Cera in the US last year.

This female form of Nathan can be pronounced with three syllables or four.

Iara rhymes with Yara, an Arabic name of which it can be a variation. More commonly it's associated with Iara of Brazilian myth — a water nymph, sometimes mermaid, of Tupi and Guaraní legend. In the legends, Iara seduces men to the river to accompany her in her immortal life.

Beata, a Latinate saint's name, has been widely used primarily by Roman Catholics in several European countries, but is rarely heard in English-speaking countries. Playground alert: could be mispronounced Beeta.

The entire congregation of Alissa-related names—from the classic Alice and Elise to newer forms like Alicia, Alyssa, and Elissa—have faded somewhat from their heyday in the late 20th century but maintain some appeal as a member of the popular class of girl names starting with A. Their major disadvantage is their similarity to each other and the resulting confusion.

Some parents, including rapper Ludacris, are literally bestowing good karma on their children; it could just join the new spiritual name congregation.

Courageous sister of Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.