Names ending in a

A gentle, evocative, and multicultural choice, Liyana is both a Zulu name associated with rainstorms and a Malay and Arabic name, meaning "soft, delicate". In a recent year, it has been a rising star in England and Wales, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where it ranks in the Top 150.
 
In addition to the aforementioned origins, Liyana may also be considered a spelling variation of Liana (a plant name and diminutive of Liliana and Juliana) and a Chinese name meaning "beautiful, graceful, and elegant", giving it widespread appeal.

Liyana

Dua is one of those names that has been popularized in English speaking countries by a single celebrity: British-Albanian model-singer Dua Lipa. It's simple, modern, appealing, and may find a wider audience thanks to its attractive namesake. 
 
In Islam, du'a is a prayer in which Muslims ask for help or assistance from God and must be given with sincerity, patience, and good intentions. In Albanian, it translates to "I want" or "I love", and in Malay, Dua means "two". Well established before its celebrity appeal, Dua makes a meaningful choice. 
 
Currently in the Top 100 in Switzerland and the Top 200 in the UK, Dua is also on the rise in the US. Since Dua Lipa's music first made it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2016, the name has quadrupled in popularity and was given to 170 baby girls in 2024.

This spelling made its way into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, fell off in 2014, then reentered in 2015. This spelling variation is riding the original's popularity, and we anticipate both spellings continuing to rise.

Giavanna

Dania is a fun, offbeat name with international flair that would be a wonderful choice to honor a Danielle, Daniel, or a Dana. It is both an Italian diminutive of Daniela and a spelling variation of the Arabic Daniya.
 
While Dania has cracked the US Top 1000 nine times between 1996 and 2024, its presence there is usually only brief. Given to around 220 girls in a recent year, it is a familiar yet rare choice.

Dania

Kalia is name of Hawaiian origin, light, sparky, and easily accessible in various languages. It could be a variation of Kalei meaning "the flower wreath" or "the child"; a form of Kalea, meaning "joy, happiness"; or a short form of Apikalia, the Hawaiian form of Abigail, meaning "my father is joyful". 
 
Beyond its Hawaiian roots, Kalia might also be used as a variation of Kaleah and Kaliyah, modern inventions based on Aaliyah, or as an elaboration of Kallie, Callie, or Calla. Alternatively, it could be a Greek name, from the element kalos meaning beautiful.

Kalia

Chiara is a lovely and romantic Italian name that's familiar but not widely used here: a real winner. You might consider Chiara instead of Claire, Clara, Cara, or even Keira.
 Santa Chiara, Aglicized as St. Clare, was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.
 Two members of European cinema royalty, Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, named their now grown daughter Chiara.
 Chiara currently ranks in the Top 100 in Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

Chiara

Aniya is a a cross-cultural choice with a bright, fresh sound. While alternative spelling Aniyah is in the US and UK Top 1000, Aniya dropped out of the charts in 2021, and is now given to around 250 girls each year.
 
As an Arabic name, Aniya means "caring" or "one who helps others", an aspirational meaning connoting both strength and gentleness. As a modern invention, it likely draws inspiration from Anya and Anna, which could give it the meaning "grace".
 
Writer of popular novel Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams has used the name in her first YA book, Empress and Aniya.

Aniya

Kara and the soundalike (though not necessarily related) Cara are among the most multi-cultural names around. Cara has roots in Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Kara can be viewed as simply as K-starting version of Cara. 

But Kara is also uniquely a Norse mythology name, drawn from the name of a valkyrie meaning "wild stormy one".. Kara was a Valkyrie, lover of Helgi, who charmed his enemies in battle by enchanting them with song.

Both Cara and Kara peaked in the 1980s but Kara remains more popular than the Cara variant.

Kara

Nayla

Playful but concise, Aira has become a rising star in England and Wales in recent years. Light and well, airy, it has also been trending upwards in the US. while in the US. 
Short and simple as it may look, Aira has a number of different origins. It could be seen as an elaboration of the word name Air — similar to Kylie Jenner's son, Aire. Alternatively, it could be a variation of Ayra, meaning "worthy" and "noble" in Sanskrit. It can also be a Finnish name meaning "messenger", or a variation of the Armenian name Ara, meaning king. Finally, it may be a Lithuanian name after the Airė river.
 
We suspect a number of English parents who name their babies Aira had the former, pop culture inspiration in mind — likely enjoying it as an alternative to the likes of Skyla or River. Others might have been inspired by dancer Aira Casim or by lifestyle influencer Ashmita Srivastava, who has a daughter called Aaira. 
 
With the announcement of Jenner's baby Aire's name in early 2023, we suspect that Aira will continue to climb the charts, with nearly 180 parents choosing it in the US in a recent count.

Aira

While Charlotte and Caroline are considered stylish and classic members of the Charles family, this Germanic form peaked in the US at Number 76 in 1965. It fell out of favor in the 2010s, but recent years have seen it re-enter the Top 1000.
 
Highly popular in Spain, Carla shares similar sounds to Clara, Kaia, Mara and Kiara, which might help people see it in a new light in coming years.

Carla

Truly multi-cultural, Ira can be: a Russian short form of Irina, meaning "peace"; a gender-switch of the Hebrew male name Ira, meaning "watchful"; a modern Greek and Finnish form of Hera, meaning "hero" or "protectress"; a Sanskrit name meaning "earth" or "enjoyment"; and a Basque nature name meaning "fern", from the word iratzea.
 Annette Bening and Warren Beatty broke the ice by using this Old Testament male standard as the middle name of their daughter Isabel, and food writer Molly Yeh named her second daughter Ira Dorothy in 2022, sister to Bernadette "Bernie".

Claudia is a classic name with ancient Roman roots. Never truly in or truly out, Claudia feels like a strong, modern choice that hits the sweet spot between too popular and too unusual..
 Claudia was a common <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> in ancient Rome, borne by the wives of both Nero and Pontius Pilate. The name is mentioned in the New Testament in one of St. Paul's letters to Timothy as one of the Christian women in Rome. As a result, it was taken up in the sixteenth century and has been in moderate use ever since.

 There was a popular mid-century series of novels by Rose Franken, beginning with Claudia: The Story of a Marriage. The name was also used by Agatha Christie and Penelope Lively, as well as being a main character in Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire. Model Claudia Schiffer gave it an infusion of glamour, as had earlier Italian actress Claudia Cardinale. Michelle Pfeiffer has a daughter named Claudia.

 While some parents may be put off by the common "lame" meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise appealing name.

Claudia

Kiera entered the American popularity list in 1988, though it lags behind the alternate spelling Keira, largely due to the fame of actress Keira Knightley. 
 The original Irish spelling is Ciara, the name of an early saint (who was said to have put out fires by the power of her prayer) which was the most popular name in Ireland a couple of decades ago.
 Keira is the more popular spelling, but Kiera is the more authentic--though both have pretty mush lost their Irish accents. There is also the male Kieran.

Kiera

A rarely used Slavic name until the Czech-born ex-Mrs. Trump took it over the top. Daughter's name Ivanka adds a dollop of charm. 

Ivana

Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly popular Disney movie Frozen. The name shot all the up to Number 286 (its highest ranking since the 1890s) in the year after the release of the movie, though it's now dropped back down the list in the US.

Elsa has international credibility, ranking in the Top 100 in countries as diverse as Sweden, Spain, and France. If Elsa, is just too Frozen for you, sister name Elsie is also on the rise, especially popular in English-speaking countries.
 Elsa came into English-speaking use in the nineteenth century, boosted by Wagner's operatic bride in Lohengrin&mdash;the first to walk down the aisle to the famous wedding march. For a while Elsa took on a leonine image via the lioness in the popular book and movie Born Free, but that's all but forgotten. Elsa has lots of varied and interesting human namesakes, including designer Schiaparelli, writer Morante, Bride of Frankenstein Lanchester (born Elizabeth). Read more about Elsa and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Elsa

Subtle botanical choice with cross-cultural appeal. Streamlined Liana is more common.

Lianna

Kamora may be a variation of Kamara, a Malagasy name from Madagascar with an unexpected animal meaning. Alternatively, it might be an invented name, inspired by the similar Kimora or Amora - in which case it could also mean "woods by the village" or "love".
 
With a hint of Cora and Cara, a touch of Aurora and Camila, plus the animal meaning of Kamara, Kamora has been given to around 200 babies in each recent year. 
 
In Mexico, Kamora is a brand of coffee liquor, while Kahmora Hall is the stage name of Paul Tran, who competed on RuPaul's Drag Race in 2021.

Kamora

This is a more spunky and Nordic looking variant of Erica, but the k also makes the connection to the beautiful flower less apparent.

Erika

Clarissa, the daintier version of Claire, has a long literary history of its own, having been featured in the novels of Samuel Richardson, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf—Clarissa was the title character of Mrs. Dalloway—not to mention the 1990s teen sitcom, Clarissa Explains it All. 
 Clarissa is a name definitely worth considering as an alternative to the overused Vanessa and Melissa. Appealing diminutives are Clarry and Claris.
 Red Cross founder Clara Barton was born Clarissa.