Names ending in a

An unusual and melodious New Testament name

Eulala is a melodious name highlighted for American parents when actress Marcia Gay Harden chose it for her older daughter. The pronunciation is yoo-LAY-la; Eulalia is the related name of the patron saint of Barcelona.

Evocative of the great Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda, real last name Basoalito, who took on the surname Neruda to honor a Czech poet of that name. One of the most poetic boy names starting with N, or with any letter, for that matter.

This name of a revered Hindu deity is heard in several cultures.

Kunta Kinte is the hero of the Roots series of books and TV series, which stem from a novel by Alex Haley. The character -- a Gambian man captured and sold into slavery in America -- is a model of strength in the face of terrible cruelty, and an icon of modern American fiction. Though some may find him too iconic to use his name for a child, others will be drawn to the name's strength and cultural ties. The origins of the name Kunta and the character who bears it are shrouded in controversy. Haley claimed to have based him on a historical account, but others have said that he is mostly invented.

Lyrica has a nice, melodious sound — which is exactly what Pfizer thought when coming up with their trade name for the drug Pregabalin.

The name Merkaba comes from Merkabah Mysticism, a type of Jewish mysticism that was practiced during the first century.

Derived from a Hebrew phrase: ode "I will thank, praise" combined with yah "Yahweh". A famous bearer is Israeli-American actress Odeya Rush.

The color red plays a prominent role in Hindu mythology, referring to the rising sun or the reddish horses of the "son of fire." Pronounced ahr-OO-shah, it has a stylish Russian flair. Hindi version is ARUSHI.

Barra is a Gaelic-speaking island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, that’s been inhabited since the Neolithic era. A male nickname for Finbarr in Ireland, as well as a stand-alone name, Barra was used by George R.R. Martin as a girl’s name. It means ‘fair-haired’.

Energetic choice that bounces off the tongue.

Messalina was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius, and a great-grandniece of Augustus. She was executed for allegedly conspiring against her husband.

A light and lovely Russian diminutive of Yelena (Helena), now used in its own right in Russia. Also spelt Alyona.