Names ending in a

Amabella is an elaboration of Amabel, a popular medieval name. Neil Gaiman and Liane Moriarty used Amabella as a character name in their novels, The Graveyard Book and Big Little Lies, respectively.

Mexican place-name famously used by Joan Didion for her daughter, Quintana Roo.

The memorable folk singer, an early single-name celeb, brought this into the spotlight. The French variation is Odette.

A name heard in the Jewish community and another addition to the color name list.

Portuguese form of Magdalena or Madeleine

In fashion limbo with Anita and Juanita.

Your zany neighbor, the one who's a potter and has five cats.

Laverna was the Roman goddess of thievery, cheating, and the underworld. The original meaning of her name in unknown, however, there are several theories. One such theory states that Laverna is related to the Latin word for theif, laterniō, while another connects the name to levare, meaning "to lift," as in shoplifting. In the case of the latter, Laverna would mean "goddess of gain".

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).

Well used in Israel, likely to be confused with Ramona here.

Kalama is a rare-yet-accessible Hawaiian name you may want to consider. Since President Obama put the spotlight on Hawaii and Hawaiian names such as that of his daughter Malia, a choice such as Kalama -- unusual, rhythmic, yet easy-to-apprehend -- seems more possible for the world at large.

Basque names, indeed the entire Basque language, are unrelated to any other. Arantxa is a diminutive of Arantzazu. This obscure choice was made known by tennis player Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

This is a name used as a pseudonym by Celia in Shakespeare's As You Like It to conceal her real identity. It was later seen as a character in the Ken Follett novel Pillars of the Earth. Can also be spelled Alienna, taking it further away from the alien connection.

More than the sum of Abby and Ella.

Eustacia, the ancestor of mid-century fave Stacy, is just the kind of fusty old relic that might be polished up for modern use. Eustacia Vye is the central character of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native.

The obscure yet not unappealing name of a legendary heroine of Rome. The ancient Clelia escaped an Etruscan invader by swimming across the Tiber River.

This Latin-sounding place-name, created by C. S. Lewis for his Chronicles, will undoubtedly be adopted by a few admiring parents.