Names ending in a

Petronella, and its shorter sister Petra, are both feminizations of Peter. While Petronella is a name with deep history, it's extremely rare. It was given to no baby girls on record in the US last year.

Not cutting edge, but still graceful and feminine.

Alita is a girls' name threatening to break into the Top 1000. There are many possible sources of this name, but the most plausible is that it's a short form for the popular Spanish name Adelita, a relative of Adele and Adeline.

A pretty and highly unusual relative of Evanthe, which would fit right in with the popular Ev- family of names while standing out for its rarity.

Ailla is a name with many possible derivations, including Cornish (possibly meaning "beautiful"), French (deriving from Ailler, meaing Garlic), Finnish (related to Helga) and Turkish (where it may have a meaning connected to moonlight). None of these derivations are very clear; what is certain is that Ailla is a name with a beautiful sound and an international flavor.

An extremely common Japanese name, especially among women.

The Kiowa People are an Indigenous American tribe of the Great Plains. The exact derivation of their name has been lost, but most scholars agree it means "principal people." The Kiowa People have used different names for themselves over the years, including Kútjàu or Kwu-da, meaning "emerging" or "coming out rapidly," and Kom-pa-bianta, meaning "people with the large tipi flaps."

Laguna Beach is a famous California spot -- though there's "goonie" teasing potential.

Giacinta is as pretty in its way as Jacinta, the Spanish name for the same purple flower, and is also a saint's name. Gia is the nickname it shares with all Gia-starting names.

Fashion designer surname that could make a dynamic first.

A fictional name from the League of Legends video game franchise. Its meaning has been suggested as "fighter, leader or powerful", due to the carrot.

See PHILOMENA.

Invidia's meaning isn't very pleasant — as a Roman goddess, she was the personification of envy. However, Invidia has the sounds of an attractive name, not unlike Olivia.

One of the 1,008 names for the god Siva and, to English speakers, a possible feminine spin on Harry.

Actress Mena Suvari (named after an Egyptian hotel) made this name seem especially appealing. Mena is also a minor Roman goddess of fertility.

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.

A venerable boys' name in Persian and South Asian cultures that is increasingly used for girls in most parts of the world, thanks largely to the popularity of Game of Thrones character Arya Stark. In the U.S., for instance, there were 1890 newborn girls named Arya in 2016 and just 54 boys in 2016. The related Aryan remains mostly male, however, so it would likely be a better choice for a little boy, if you don't mind the other meaning.