Names ending in a

This variation of the more well known Alvin adds an unusual and feminine touch to the original. It sounds a bit more like what it means--"elf friend."

Once unique to the Zappa family, now you can have your own little prima donna.

Katana is a male name in Old Persian and a well-used word in Japanese, but as a girls' name is these days found more often as Kitana, the name of a princess in the video game Mortal Kombat II.

Form of Ottilie or Odilia

Aza's similarity to the biblical name Asa makes it ripe for adaptation. If you want something more elaborate, you might consider Azariah. Something simpler? It doesn't get much simpler and that is the beauty of Aza (or Asa).

This Noongar girls’ name has a dainty sound that belies its fierce fire meaning and could easily cross over into the American or European context.

Concise and cool, Kota is a name with multiple origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well.

Tied to country singer/sitcom star Reba McEntire.

Isola (named for the Celtic heroine Iseult) was the unusual name of Irish author Oscar Wilde’s younger sister, who died of meningitis at the age of nine. Wilde later dedicated his poem Requiescat to her memory.

With the rise of many once-dated leonine names, from Leona to Lionel to Leonora, Leandra is an unusual choice that might be looking at a comeback..

A name that relates to Concepcion and the Virgin Mary, but feels a good deal more secular.

There is some controversy over the origin and meaning of this name, though most reputable sources define it as a Hindi name meaning kindness or compassion. Also spelled, Daia, other sources say it may mean "joy" or be a Hebrew name with the meaning "bird of prey". It has recently been made familiar through the character of Daya Diaz on Orange is the New Black .

As the softer-looking Cora of Downton Abbey fame charted highly in the US and the UK, some parents were looking for a way to make this name a little less common, a bit more trendy or far more Germanic by using a "K". We prefer the C version, but Kora is still an elegant name.

Festive name of the wife of Salvador Dali. In Spanish, Gala comes from the Roman name Galla, a feminine form of Gallus meaning "rooster" or "a person from Gaul".

A favorite in Near Eastern cultures, with a charming meaning.

Eliška is warm and friendly, in the Misha, Sasha mode.

For most, Eureka will be tied up with the bathtub myth of Archimedes' discovery of volumetric displacement, making it linked to the idea of invention, discovery and innovation. Some Australians might more closely link it to the Eureka stockade, a 19th Century rebellion of miners and workers against the colonial British government. Amanda Knox named her baby girl Eureka in 2021.

A pretty Thai name famously borne by Thai musical artist Lisa (full name: Lalisa Manoban), whose name was changed in childhood from Pranpriya to Lalisa after she had her fortune told.

Refers to one of the seven sacred rivers of India.

Politics aside, the Cuban capital is one of the most rhythmic of place-names. The question is: can politics be put aside?