Names ending in a

Medina commonly refers to a city in Saudi Arabia where the prophet Muhammad began his work to establish Islam. It is considered the second holiest city in Islamic tradition, and is also known as The Luminous City, The Enlightened City, and The City of the Prophet.

Hemera was the personification of day and one of the Greek primordial deities. She is the goddess of the daytime and,said to be the daughter of Erebus and Nyx (the goddess of night).

Unlike most combination names, this elegant blend -- related to the German Anneliese -- is more than the sum of its parts.

Girlish for Ethan: attractive and unusual.

A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, a dragonrider played by Emma D'Arcy in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon.

If you loved Nicole growing up but now are looking for a new spin, Nicoletta may interest you. The slightly sleeker French version is Nicolette. A shorter form is Coletta, or you could shorten it even further to Nico or Etta.

Has become a byword in English for an overly optimistic person, thanks to the eponymous children's book heroine.

The surname of the 44th US President has been been adopted as a first, for girls as well as boys, by admiring parents around the world. And the O beginning even makes it fashionable. Though Barack Obama's name derives from the Luo people of Kenya, Obama is also a Japanese place name and a surname that means "little beach."

A bright and breezy Scottish name which is little known outside its native land.

Greek nature goddess name that has a pleasing femininity. Damia is one of the more unusual goddess names newly fashionable for contemporary baby girls.

Popular Eastern European name which is a variant of Nordic Dagmar. A famous bearer is Polish- American actress Dagmara Domińczyk.

The haunting Lorca is a place name from the Spanish province of Navarre, but far more famous as the surname of the eminent Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, who was the direct inspiration for the name of Leonard Cohen's now-grown daughter Lorca.

The name of the first dog in space is the quintessential Russian dog name, equivalent to Fido or Rover. Fittingly, it derives from the verb layat', meaning "to bark".

Why is Evangeline so popular -- close to Number 200 in the US -- while Evangelina hasn't charted in the Top 1000 since the early 1950s? The stardom of Evangeline Lilly has something to do with the relative popularity of that form, but Evangelina is just as pretty and romantic but given to only 10% as many baby girls.

A character name in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, featured in the GOT prequel House of the Dragon. A creative spin on Reign or Rayna.

A musette is both a dance and an antique instrument, but the name is most associated with the classic opera La Bohème.

Kalena is one of those names that has a pleasant-if-synthetic feel. Research turns up a range of origins and meanings, but the most reliable peg it as a derivation of Katherine.

Miara is a Jewish surname that has sparingly been used as a first name since the 1990s. It is likely of Mizrahi Jewish origin — from North Africa and the Middle East — and evidence of the surname goes back to at least the 19th century.