Unexpected -a endings

If you must fall into the short, -a ending girl name rank, be daring!
  1. Etta
    • Origin:

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

      Etta is one of the surprise hit girl names of recent years, thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last. Etta has now taken her place as a successor to Emma and Ella.
  2. Inga
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "guarded by Ing"
    • Description:

      Ing was a powerful Norse god whose name inspired several modern variations -- though Inga has become a caricatured Scandinavian choice.
  3. Joia
    • Kenda
      • Liora
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "light"
        • Description:

          A beautiful Hebrew name that would work perfectly for a child today.
      • Selah
        • Origin:

          Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "praise, pause"
        • Description:

          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 praise" or "pause and reflect upon what has just been said." Lauryn Hill used this name for her daughter. It is the last word in Anita Diamant's novel The Red Tent.
      • Thea
        • Origin:

          Greek
        • Meaning:

          "goddess, godly"
        • Description:

          Thea is a diminutive of names ending in -thea, including Dorothea, Althea, and Anthea. It is also the Anglicized spelling of Theia, the Titan of sight, goddess of light, and mother of the moon. She was the consort of Hyperion, and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos.
      • Tosca
        • Origin:

          Italian
        • Meaning:

          "from Tuscany"
        • Description:

          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 from some referred publicity.