Names ending in a

Top 100 choice in Puerto Rico.

A sweet, simple mini-name that fits into many cultures. The only drawback is the potential for confusion with Ella, Ayla, and other similar names.

This is one of the attractive smoosh names heard frequently in Italy, but rarely in the US. A particularly appealing example due to the stylishness of Luca.

The spiritual sounding Kiva has a number of other-worldly associations. Kiva is a "Stargate" character who becomes a commander in the Lucian Alliance, as well as a planet in "Star Wars." Kiva is also the name of a room used by the Hopi for spiritual ceremonies.

This variant of Gianna has been in the US Top 1000 for most of the 21st century and hit a peak in 2010 at Number 568. The original spelling outranks the trimmed down version by far.

Spelling variant of Catalina, currently on the rise in the US.

Possibly started life as a short form of Rhonwen, but most likely derives from the name of the Hebridean island Rona, which means "rough island".

Halia is one of Hawaii's top baby names, in the Top 50 for girls in 2021. But it's rare outside its native Hawaii, given to only 57 baby girls in the US last year.

Hanya, made famous by American novelist Hanya Yanagihara and German dancer and choreographer Hanya Holm, is a simple straightforward name rare in the US, where only a handful of baby girls are named Hanya each year. But it makes a distinctive short form for the overused Hannah or an update for the old world Johanna, so deserves more attention.

Akila, which can also be spelled Akilah, is a sleek, modern-feeling name with a strong meaning. Some sources say the name Akila may also be Egyptian or Swahili.

Subtle botanical choice with cross-cultural appeal. Streamlined Liana is more common.

Lucasta was invented by seventeenth century poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems dedicated to a lover named Lucy, and is familiar through the Eugene O'Neill play and film Anna Lucasta. Lucasta is a distinctive, rarely used choice and a logical extension of the Luke/Luc/Luca names.

A coffee filter.

See PHILOMENA.

The name of a wise and beautiful 10th century BC Ethiopian queen, probably the same person as the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon in the Old Testament.

Lova, a Louise relative virtually unknown in the US, is one of the top girl names in Sweden.

Nadya and Nadia are Eastern European short forms -- for the more difficult Nadezhda -- now fully accepted on their own.

Carlota is the preferred version of Charlotte in Spain and Portugal, each where it ranks among the Top 50 most popular girl names. Carlotta, with two Ts, is the Italian spelling.

Attractive ancient name borne by several saints but sullied by association with yeast infection.