Names ending in a

The addition of the h makes it more Old World, which is not the direction you want to push Matilda in.

A strong and simple nature name from the Choctaw culture.

One of the many faux-Medieval names invented by George R.R. Martin for his A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones. Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of Cersei Lannister and (secretly) her brother Jaime. Their younger brother Tyrion sends her to Dorne to be married to the Dornish prince Trystane Martell to seal an alliance between the two houses.

Malika is an attractive multi-cultural name--it is also a pet form of Amalia in Hungary.

Isra is a gender-neutral Arabic name. The name of a chapter of the Quran, it refers to the Prophet's journey from Mecca to Jerusalem.

This obscure antiquated name is finding new life thanks to The Witcher series, whose heroine is named Princess Cirilla, nickname Ciri. The feminine form of Cyril, Cirilla has now surpassed the original Cyrilla in usage, given to 40 baby girls in the US in 2021 vs. only 10 called Cyrilla. We eonder how many parents will call their daughters Ciri.

Despite the light, pretty sound of Bella for a girl, the boys' name Bela has dark and mysterious undertones, thanks to Dracula actor Bela Lugosi. Béla is also the first name of composer Bartók.

Popular name in Israel, worth considering for a dark-haired daughter with a bit of a bohemian cast.

Depending on which characters you use, this Japanese name can have many meanings. The first part can mean "love, affection" or "indigo", while kanji for the second element include those meaning flower, perfume, include, sing, and praise. Whichever you choose, this is a distinctive Japanese name that travels easily into other languages.

Obscure form of an old-fashioned favorite that's poised to make a comeback. This version, which owes as much to Alison as to Louisa, has a stylish A beginning and a multi-syllabic feminine grace.

Interesting multi-cultural option.

An interesting and unusual member of the "Nic" family--far more distinctive than NICOLE or NICOLA.

Used by the Puritans but off the US charts completely since the mid-1990s, Eartha is best known today as the name of American singer Eartha Kitt, as well as of the philanthropist and humanitarian Eartha M. M. White.

Though little used as a first name, Loa will be familiar to many from the name of Hawaii's most famous volcano, Mauna Loa, on the Big Island.

A rarely used Slavic name until the Czech-born ex-Mrs. Trump took it over the top. Daughter's name Ivanka adds a dollop of charm.

Short, sweet, and sparky, Nava has been slowly climbing up the US popularity charts in recent years, owing perhaps to its similarity to Nova, Ava, Navy, and Nevaeh. Used quietly but consistently from the 80s onwards, Nava was given to nearly 80 girls in 2023.

The name of the resort city on Spain's Costa del Sol is pronounced mar-BAY-a, setting it apart from the bella-name competition -- though many English speakers won't realize that.