Dog Names That Start With A

Lilting and lovely. Entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.

An appealing Hindi name borne by Mindy Kahling's architect father Avu Chokalingam. She bestowed it on her son Spencer as a middle name in 2020.

This spelling has been on the rise since it entered the charts in 2004, hot on the coattails of trendy Avery.

Inventive female form of Aloysius.

A representative Japanese name with a meaning symbolizing ripeness.

Amica is a word meaning girlfriend that is not often used as a name in Italy, but it would sound pretty and name-like elsewhere.

Obscure form of an old-fashioned favorite that's poised to make a comeback. This version, which owes as much to Alison as to Louisa, has a stylish A beginning and a multi-syllabic feminine grace.

One of the sweet simple unisex names balanced enough to stand on its own. Ali can either be used as a shortening of Al- beginning names and is also an Arabic name in its own right.

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.

Spelling variation of Ava, perhaps influenced by the biblical-style, ends-in-H names currently trending: Delilah, Alayah, Aniyah, et al. It entered the US Top 1000 in 2008 where it remained for 14 years, peaking in 2018 when it was given to nearly 680 girls. Now in decline, it was given to around 230 girls in 2023.

While this name is a phonetic variant of Amaya and Amaia, its popularity could also stem from its similarity to names such as Aliyah, Amelia, and Amara too. It entered the US Top 1000 back in 2003, peaked in 2017 at #257, but has been on decline in recent years. Nevertheless, it is one of four variations of Amaia in the Top 1000 and when you combine these names together, they were collectively given to 3256 babies in a recent year, making the name *feel* or at least *sound* like a Top 100 choice, similarly popular to Ruby, Claire, Audrey, or Alice.

Akari is a gender-neutral Japanese name used fairly evenly between the sexes in the US.

One way to spin grandma Helen or Ellen's name off the beaten track. The legendary Azenor was a tragic 6th century Breton princess who was mother to a saint. This personage also may be known as Senara.

This variation of Ahmad is one of the most popular Arabic names among Muslim families the world over and is now the most used spelling in the USA. It shares the same root as other popular Arabic names, including Muhammad and Hamid.

Almond may seem like a hippy modern name, but its use for American boys goes right back to the mid-nineteenth century. In these cases, it was either a variation of Almund, meaning "noble strength," or the surname Aleman, meaning "German."

Armas is an antiquated Finnish word with a loving meaning and a straightforward spelling and pronunciation. A rare name with potential.

A popular choice in Finland, where it ranks among the Top 50 boy names.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Apple has opened the world of botanical names beyond flowers to trees, herbs, fruits, and — why not — nuts. Cayley and Brandon Jenner have a daughter named Joan Almond.

A very common boys' name in South Asia, with a strong meaning. Some are bound to pronounce it AJ, as in Soprano.