Names ending in a

Used to honor Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of the independent Kenyan republic. The problem: with the name Kenya now used largely for girls, along with the vowel ending, Kenyatta sounds fairly feminine.

Louisiana is a geographic spin on the Louise theme. Pretty, if a bit of a syllable overload. Short form Lou or Lulu lightens it.

A minor goddess in Celtic mythology, associated with the river Aisne.

Nanna is a name from Norse mythology that is among the Top 30 names in contemporary Denmark. Popular in Norway in the 19th century, Nanna may also be considered a short form of a range of names, from Anna to Johanna to Marianne. As widespread as it is in Scandinavia, though, it's hard to imagine Nanna making a mark as a girl's name in modern day America, given its use as a name for grandmothers.

An energetic name with an embroidered feel.

Nadya and Nadia are Eastern European short forms -- for the more difficult Nadezhda -- now fully accepted on their own.

This possible word name, which rhymes with Maia, makes an even more distinctive alternative.

An offbeat approach to Bella. Also a Yiddish form of Bilhah, one of the four women who gave birth to the tribes of Israel.

This Basque name also has a variation: Aintzane.

Russian diminutive from Pyotr (Peter), a very familiar form generally used only for small children, pets or close family members. It's also the Russian word for the herb parsley.

The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Officially called Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Makkah, it is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Millions of Muslims from across the world make a pilgrimage there each year, while Non-Muslims are understandably not allowed inside the city.

The name of one of the branches of the Great Sioux Nation has a very namelike sound, but is not used as a name by the Lakota people themselves, and could be seen as appropriative.

When President LBJ's daughter Linda Bird changed the spelling of her name to Lynda, she set a trend for spelling adventurism that's still rippling through the name world today.

Moneta was the name of two separate goddesses in Roman mythology. The first was the goddess of memory, equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne, and the second was as an epithet of Juno, mother of the gods. The names of each goddess were derived from different sources.

Originated as a nickname for Anastazija, but now is more popular as an independent name.

There aren't many Glendas under forty.

More common in Slovenia than its mother name, Jerneja. Neja peaked in 2015 when it ranked at Number 15 on the Slovene Top 100.