Names ending in a

One of the most popular names of all time in Portugal and Brazil, with a romantic, lively sound. The main risk is confusion with other names that sound similar: Catalina, Katrina, and so forth. Caterina, with an "e," is more common in Italy.

Sweet Japanese name that would work well as an alternative to the now-dated Alyssa and Marissa.

Amada is an unusual Spanish name that's becoming more famous thanks to Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, who named their second daughter Amada Lee and their first Esmeralda Amada. Amada was also the name of two characters played by Mendes and, not coincidentally, her grandmother's name. In 2015, it was used for only 21 girls while brother name Amado was used for twice as many girls, but we predict the name will become more popular thanks to its new star power. Related names include the Latin saints' name Amatus, the musical Amadeo, and even Amy and Amanda.

Elizabella is a much more obscure smoosh than sisters Isabella and Annabelle, but the megapopularity of Isabella may give this unusual combo name a boost.

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.

The calming variety of marijuana, used as a baby name every year since 1992.

A Spanish TV show made this one popular, along with single-named Mexican singer, Alondra.

This animal-themed name is among the most popular for girls in contemporary Israel. Parents who want to move beyond the mega-popular Aliyah and sisters might want to consider Ayala. The male form is Ayal.

More stylish than either Paula or Pauline, it was given a glamour gloss by model Paulina Porizkova in the nineties.

Azra is a perennial favorite Arabic name for girls in Turkey, Bosnia and Croatia. In the West, Azra could become a fresher take on Virginia or a more feminine spin on Ezra.

When Deborah seemed too formal in the laid-back sixties, Debra stepped in as a pared-down alternative, but the pendulum is about to swing back.

A romantic take on Ariadne, who in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She saw over the labyrinth, where she later helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur.

The currently preferred replacement for Becky, sometimes used on its own.

Culmination of two trends: names bookended by As and Nova names, seen in names like Novalee, Novalyn, and Zanova.

Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," is a Japanese folk story, also called "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." In the story, a bamboo cutter finds a baby girl from the moon nestled in a glowing bamboo stalk. Her name is Kaguya, meaning "shining."

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.

In the ancient Hindu religion, Indra is the warrior god of sky and rain. The vowel ending makes it sound feminine to the English speaker; it also sounds like the French river Indre.

A twist on Alina or Alena, this name popped into the Top 500 for the first time in 2014. Also an Arabic name, meaning "soft, pliable, delicate".

Hypatia, an ancient Greek name, has a distinguished namesake: Hypatia of Alexandria was an early philosopher and scholar of mathematics and astronomy--as well as inventor of several scientific instruments.