Names ending in a

Personification of pep.

This Basque name also has a variation: Aintzane.

The late tennis great Arthur Ashe (whose wife was a photographer) pioneered word names when he used this for his daughter. It would make an interesting first or middle name possibility for parents involved with photography.

Lorina is a fanciful name that comes to us via Alice in Wonderland. Lorina was one of Alice's sisters. Such names that are really diminutives feel old-fashioned today, the strong and classic Laura being preferable. But if you're looking for either unique baby names or girl names starting with L, you might want to add Lorina to your list.

A short form of Alexandra and Alice used everywhere from Russia to Spain. A fresh alternative to Allie.

Hadisa is a gorgeous Arabic name that is the feminine equivalent of the male name Hadith, referring to the collection of the sayings or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam.

The name of one of the branches of the Great Sioux Nation has a very namelike sound, but is not used as a name by the Lakota people themselves, and could be seen as appropriative.

Leonida is the modern Italian form of the name of the ancient Spartan king. Though names that end in a or the a sound are usually feminine, there are several examples popular in recent years -- Luca, Joshua, Noah -- that make this more plausible for a boy.

The ancient Roman name that gave us Cecilia, Cecily, and related names. This spelling looks authentic, but might raise more pronunciation problems than it solves.

Intriguing twist on several familiar names, though many people will mistake this for Elsa, Eliza, and so on.

When President LBJ's daughter Linda Bird changed the spelling of her name to Lynda, she set a trend for spelling adventurism that's still rippling through the name world today.

Used to honor Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of the independent Kenyan republic. The problem: with the name Kenya now used largely for girls, along with the vowel ending, Kenyatta sounds fairly feminine.

Phyllida, a "Masterpiece Theatre"-style appellation, seems far fresher and more unusual than Phyllis. It's green-related meaning makes it one of the prime names that mean new beginnings.

Part of a group of lovely A-starting names popular in Spain, along with Ainhoa and Aitana. Spanish actress Aroa Gimeno introduced this one.

Fading since the 1970s -- but still a lovely name.