Unexpected -a endings

Selah

Hebrew

"praise, pause"

The name is derived from the term commonly used in the Book of Psalms, which has a many Hebrew scholars in confusion over its meaning. Given its context in the Bible, Selah is likely to mean "to…

Thea

Greek

"goddess, godly"

Succinct and stylish, sweet but vivacious, multicultural and versatile, Thea has a lot going for it. A Top 100 choice in Sweden, France, Norway, New Zealand, and the UK, it is also familiar in…

Liora

Hebrew

"light"

A beautiful Hebrew name that would work perfectly for a child today.

Etta

English and Scottish, short form of any name ending with -etta: Henrietta, Loretta etc.

Thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last and because of recent interest in vintage style nicknames, Etta has established herself as a possible successor to Emma and Ella. While…

Tosca

Italian

"from Tuscany"

Tosca is one operatic heroine that has never taken off as a baby name -- there were no babies named Tosca in the US last year -- but it's the name of entrepreneur Elon Musk's sister so may benefit…

Kenda

Kenda is a feminine name with multiple possible origins. In American usage, it may be a modern invention or variant of names like Kendra (meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding'). In some African…

Joia

Joia is a feminine name with Latin and Portuguese origins, meaning 'jewel' or 'joy.' In Portuguese-speaking countries, it directly translates to 'jewel,' while its pronunciation (often as 'JOY-ah')…

Inga

Norse

"guarded by Ing"

Ing was a powerful Norse god whose name inspired several modern variations -- though Inga has become a caricatured Scandinavian choice.