Names ending in a

Simple, pretty, and delicate.

Mendoza is a common Basque surname derived from the words mendi, meaning "mountain," and hotz, "cold." As a given name, it could easily be worn on a girl or a boy. Notable people who have carried the name include Cristóbal Mendoza, the first President of Venezuela, and baseball player Carlos Mendoza.

Light and cheerful, Gal·la is used for girls in its native Catalonia. The Spanish form Gala is even more popular both there and throughout Spain, and this spelling travels more easily around the world.

For an American girl, the double "I" might be a problem as a child, but an attention-getting talking point as an adult.

Deriving from the name of an Australian butterfly, Eliena is also a name seen in the Bible.

Hodaya is within the Top 20 in Israel.

Lilting Eritrean choice with a festive meaning.

Ayva is a new entry in the popular Ava and Eva cluster. Its only advantage over the original is that it clarifies pronunciation....but that's not much of a problem if you simply spell it Ava.

Has not caught on as much as other Golden State place-names -- Sierra, Marin, West, or even Francisco -- probably because of its length.

Do everyone a favor and spell it Coco, an up-and-coming choice.