10,000+ Girl Names That End in A

In the eighteenth century there was a poetic fad for names with the 'inda' sound, and, along with Belinda, Clarinda, Dorinda and Florinda, Melinda was one of those created at that time. It came into non-literary use in the 1840's, peaking in the U.S. in the late 1960s and 1970s: Melinda was a Top 100 name from 1967 to 1980. It began to fade as nickname Mindy ascended. Nowadays, however, Melinda feels more contemporary than cousins Melissa, Mindy, Belinda and Linda.

A highly unusual name in the U.S., Assumpta refers to the Assumption of Mary, the ascent of the Virgin Mary into Heaven before her death in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox doctrine. An intriguing and pious choice for a devout Catholic family — though watch out for those first three letters.

Ravenna is a lovely, untouristed Italian place-name just waiting to be discovered. Renowned for its fantastic Byzantine mosaics, it's a city that has a rich historic and artistic heritage.

A simple name occasionally heard a couple of generations back.

Fauna is the Roman goddess of the earth as well as one of the fairies who protected Disney's "Sleeping Beauty".

Now that Isla Fisher has pushed her once-obscure name into the Top 150, some parents are looking for similar-sounding Scottish names for girls that are further off the beaten path. This one is especially promising, with its cross-cultural appeal. Ayla, a common name in Turkey, is also worth considering.

Familiar through the similarly pronounced TV Warrior Princess, but the original Xena spelling is cooler.

In the slipstream of Luna, this everywhere-and-nowhere international name, with its attractive liquid sound, is popular in several European countries along with Hawaii.

This biblical name of the mother of King Jotham of Judah has an appealing soft Russian accent.

A warm-sounding Arabic name with a gentle meaning, mentioned frequently in the Quran.

Eloisa captures a lovely name back from the spoiled little girl at the Plaza. Historical romance writer Eloisa James has helped make this antique name sound fresh and sassy again.

Nadezhda is more familiar in the English-speaking world by its short forms, Nadia or Nadya. Well-used through the Slavic countries and Russia, Nadezhda was the name of Lenin's wife. Viewers of The Americans learned that this was the original Russian name of the spy known as Elizabeth Jennings, played by Keri Russell.

As a female name, Anaia is typically used in its Basque form, where it is derived from the word anai, meaning "brother." In the Bible, Anaiah is the name of two minor male characters.

In English, Kailea is an unusual variant spelling of Kayley or Kaylee. In Hawaiian, Kaileʻa means "sea of joy".

Kailea is one of

Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to Shea.

Looking to honor Grandma Mary (or Maria) with something original? This Russian short form bears an unfortunate resemblance to the English word "mash", but if you can look past that, Masha has possibilities.

Upside: it has an interesting ancient look and feel, related to the Roman family name Laelius of uncertain meaning. There is also a type of orchid called the Laelia. Downside: possible confusion with all those Laylas, Lailas, etc. out there.

Unusual and lush Roman name adopted, improbably, by the Puritans.

Ira for a girl can be either a Russian short form of Irina, meaning "peace", or a gender-switch of the Hebrew male name Ira.