Girl Names That Start With A: 164 Ideas

Girl names that start with A run from favorites like Amelia, Ava, Abigail and Alice to rare picks like Araminta, Anwen and Aderyn, and this list of 164 gives a checked origin and meaning for every one.

A is a rich letter for naming a daughter. It holds one name in the current U.S. top 10 (Amelia, at No. 4 for babies born in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration), plus classics, nature names and names from languages around the world.

We grouped the A girl names by style: classic, unique, short, long, vintage, nature, mythology, biblical, international and gender neutral. Then come nicknames, sibling and middle name ideas, and a quick initials check.

Key Takeaways

Amelia is the only A name in the SSA top 10 for either girls or boys born in 2025, at No. 4 for girls.
Familiar A names for girls include Ava, Abigail, Aria, Aurora, Alice, Anna and Audrey.
Rare options include Araminta, Amabel, Annora, Anwen, Aderyn and Alethea.
Some well known A names, including Athena, Artemis and Araminta, have no known meaning, and an honest list says so.
Test your favorite with the initials, say it out loud and nickname checks before you decide.

Table of Contents

Girl Names That Start With A at a Glance

Quick Answer

Standout A names for girls: Amelia, Ava, Abigail, Aria, Aurora, Alice, Anna, Audrey, Adeline and Alexandra (familiar and classic); Araminta, Amity, Anwen, Aderyn and Alethea (rare); Ada, Aya, Alma and Ayla (short); Azalea, Aviva and Ayelet (nature). Amelia is the only A name in the U.S. top 10, at No. 4 for babies born in 2025.

Every origin and meaning here was checked against the name’s entry on Behind the Name in October 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning unknown or uncertain, we say so.

Start with the best known baby girl names that start with A. For ideas beyond one letter, see our main list of baby girl names.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Amelia	English, from Germanic	Variant of Amalia; Germanic amal, “unceasing, vigorous, brave”
Ava	English	Variant of Eve: “to breathe” or “to live”
Abigail	Hebrew, biblical	“My father is joy”
Aria	English, from Italian	“Song, melody” (literally “air”)
Aurora	Latin, Roman mythology	“Dawn”; the Roman goddess of the morning
Alice	English, French	From Old French Aalis, a short form of the name behind Adelaide
Anna	Greek and Latin form of Hannah	“Favor, grace”
Audrey	English	From an Old English name: “noble” plus “strength”
Aaliyah	Arabic	Feminine form of Aali: “high, lofty, sublime”
Adeline	French, English	Form of Adelina, from Germanic adal: “noble”
Allison	English	Variant of Alison, a pet form of Aalis (Alice)
Ariana	Portuguese, English	Form of Ariadne: possibly “most holy”
Alexandra	Greek	Feminine form of Alexander: “defending men”
Amy	English, from Old French	“Beloved”
Angela	English, Italian, German	From Greek angelos: “messenger”
Amanda	English, from Latin	“Lovable, worthy of love”
Annabelle	English, French	Variant of Annabel; also Anna plus French belle, “beautiful”
Anastasia	Greek, Russian	Feminine form of Anastasius: “resurrection”

Familiar and classic A girl names with origins and meanings.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) ranks every spelling separately, so Aaliyah and Aliyah each get their own rank.

Unique and Rare Girl Names That Start With A

Looking for unique girl names that start with A? These are uncommon in the United States, and Behind the Name marks several as rare in English. They are still easy to say and spell.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Araminta	English (rare)	Meaning unknown; used in a 1693 comedy by William Congreve
Amity	English (rare)	From the English word for “friendship”
Aveline	English (rare)	From the Germanic name Avelina; root meaning unknown
Amabel	English (rare)	Medieval form of Amabilis: “lovable” in Latin
Annora	English (rare)	Medieval variant of Honora: “honor, esteem, dignity”
Alethea	English	From Greek aletheia: “truth”
Avalon	English (rare)	King Arthur’s island paradise; possibly from Welsh afal, “apple”
Ailsa	Scottish	From Ailsa Craig, a Scottish island; derivation uncertain
Anaïs	French	Meaning uncertain, possibly from Anne or Agnès
Apolline	French	French form of Apollonia, from the god Apollo
Aderyn	Welsh (rare)	“Bird”
Anwen	Welsh	“Very beautiful”

Unique and rare A names for girls.

To see where a name stands, use the Popularity of a Name search on the SSA baby names page. The SSA leaves names with fewer than 5 occurrences out of its lists to protect privacy. More ideas: our unique baby names guide.

Short A Names for Girls (3 to 4 Letters)

Short A names are quick to spell and pair well with a long surname. Several are pet forms that now stand on their own.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Ada	English, German, Italian	Short form of Germanic names with adal: “noble”
Ana	Spanish, Portuguese and more	Form of Anna
Anne	French, English	French form of Anna
Anya	Russian, English	Russian pet form of Anna
Asha	Hindi, Marathi; also Swahili	Sanskrit: “wish, desire, hope”; the Swahili name is separate
Ayla	Turkish, Azerbaijani	“Moonlight, halo”
Alma	English, Spanish, Italian	Probably inspired by Latin almus: “nourishing”
Alba	Italian, Spanish, Catalan	Two older names merged; the Latin one means “white, bright”
Aida	Arabic; literature	Variant of Ayda: “returning, visitor”; also a Verdi heroine
Aya	Japanese; also Arabic	Japanese: “color” or “design”, by characters. Arabic: “sign, evidence”
Alva	Swedish, Norwegian, Danish	Feminine form of Alf: “elf”
Asta	Swedish, Danish, Norwegian	Short form of Astrid
Abby	English	Pet form of Abigail
Ally	English	Pet form of Alison, Alexandra and similar names

Short girl names starting with A.

Long, Elegant and Vintage A Names

Longer A names bring built-in nicknames and a formal option for later in life.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Alexandria	English	Feminine form of Alexander; also cities founded by Alexander the Great
Antoinette	French	Feminine pet form of Antoine
Alessandra	Italian	Italian form of Alexandra
Angelica	English, Italian	From Latin angelicus: “angelic”
Anneliese	German, Dutch	Combination of Anne and Liese
Annalise	Danish, English	Combination of Anna and Lise
Adelaide	English, Italian, Portuguese	“Nobleness, nobility”
Arabella	English, from medieval Scotland	Probably a variant of Annabel
Apollonia	Greek, Italian	Feminine form of Apollonios, from the god Apollo
Antonella	Italian	Pet form of Antonia
Annunziata	Italian	“Announced”, for Gabriel’s announcement to Mary

Long and elegant A girl names.

These vintage picks feel familiar from older generations, and several go back to ancient Greek and Roman names.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Agnes	Greek (Latinized)	From hagnos: “chaste”
Agatha	Greek (Latinized)	From agathos: “good”
Adele	German, English, Italian	Form of Adela
Adela	English, Spanish, Polish	Short form of names with Old German adal: “noble”
Alberta	English, Italian	Feminine form of Albert: “noble and bright”
Augusta	Ancient Roman; English, German	Feminine form of Augustus: “exalted, venerable”
Avis	English	Probably from Germanic Aveza; later linked with Latin avis, “bird”
Addie	English	Pet form of Adelaide, Adeline and Addison
Annette	French	French pet form of Anne
Anita	Spanish, Portuguese	Pet form of Ana
Antonia	Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish	From Antonius, a Roman family name of unknown Etruscan origin
Amalia	Spanish, Italian, German, Greek	From Germanic amal: “unceasing, vigorous, brave”
Annabel	English, Dutch	Variant of Amabel, respelled like Anna plus belle

Vintage A names for girls.

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Nature A Names: Flowers, Seasons and Sky

Many pretty girl names that start with A come from the natural world: flowers, trees, months, birds and the moon. For more, see our flower names list.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Acacia	English (rare)	The tree; from Greek ake: “thorn, point”
Amber	English	The gemstone, or its orange-yellow color
Amaryllis	Greek; literature	From amarysso: “to sparkle”; a character in Virgil
Anemone	English (rare)	The flower; from Greek anemos: “wind”
April	English	The month; probably from Latin aperio, “to open”
Autumn	English	The season; from Latin autumnus
Azalea	English (modern)	The flower; from Greek azaleos: “dry”
Azucena	Spanish	“Madonna lily”
Alondra	Spanish (Latin American)	“Lark”
Ayame	Japanese	“Iris (flower)”; other characters are possible
Avani	Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi	From Sanskrit avani: “earth”
Aviva	Hebrew	Feminine variant of Aviv: “spring”
Ayala	Hebrew	“Doe, female deer”
Ayelet	Hebrew	“Doe, female deer, gazelle”; tied to a name of the morning star
Aylin	Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh	Elaborated form of ay: “moon”
Anthea	Greek mythology	From anthos: “flower, blossom”

Nature inspired A names for girls.

Mythology, Literature and Biblical A Names

Greek myth is full of A names, and a few come from Welsh, Persian, Finnish and Hindu tradition. For Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite the reference gives no known meaning.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Athena	Greek mythology	Meaning unknown; goddess of wisdom and warfare
Artemis	Greek mythology	Meaning unknown, possibly of pre-Greek origin
Aphrodite	Greek mythology	Meaning unknown, possibly Phoenician; goddess of love and beauty
Ariadne	Greek mythology	Possibly “most holy”; daughter of King Minos
Atalanta	Greek mythology	“Equal in weight”; a swift maiden of legend
Antigone	Greek mythology	From anti (“against, compared to, like”) and gone (“birth, offspring”)
Alcyone	Greek mythology	From alkyon: “kingfisher”
Althea	Greek mythology	Perhaps related to althos: “healing”
Asteria	Greek mythology	Feminine form of Asterios: “starry”
Astraea	Greek mythology	From aster: “star”; goddess of justice and innocence
Arianrhod	Welsh mythology	Probably “silver wheel”
Aditi	Sanskrit; Hinduism	“Boundless, entire” or “freedom, security”; a Hindu goddess
Anahita	Persian; Persian mythology	“Immaculate, undefiled”; an Iranian goddess
Aino	Finnish; Finnish mythology	“The only one”; a figure in the Kalevala
Arwen	Literature	“Noble maiden” in J. R. R. Tolkien’s invented Sindarin

A names from mythology and literature.

For biblical girl names that start with A, the best known are Abigail and Anna from the first table. Per Behind the Name, Abigail is the wife of Nabal who later married King David in the Old Testament, and Anna is a New Testament prophetess who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Less common choices:

Name	Origin	Meaning
Adah	Hebrew	“Adornment, ornament”; wives of Lamech and Esau (Old Testament)
Abital	Hebrew	“My father is dew”; a wife of David (Old Testament)
Ahinoam	Hebrew	“My brother is pleasant”; wives of Saul and David (Old Testament)
Asenath	Ancient Egyptian	“Belonging to the goddess Neith”; Joseph’s wife (Old Testament)
Atarah	Hebrew	“Crown”; the wife of Jerahmeel (Old Testament)
Achsah	Hebrew	“Anklet, bangle”; a daughter of Caleb (Old Testament)
Apphia	Greek form of a Hebrew name	Possibly “increasing”; named in Paul’s epistle to Philemon (New Testament)

Biblical A names for girls.

International A Names by Language

Meanings below follow the reference’s own wording. For Japanese names, the meaning depends on the characters a family chooses, so treat each gloss as one common reading.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Allegra	Italian	“Cheerful, lively”
Alessia	Italian	Feminine form of Alexius, from Alexis: “helper” or “defender”
Amélie	French	French form of Amelia
Aurélie	French	French feminine form of Aurelius: “golden, gilded”
Astrid	Swedish, Norwegian, Danish	Old Norse: “god” plus “beautiful, beloved”
Annika	Swedish	Swedish pet form of Anna
Anouk	Dutch, French	Pet form of Anna
Aisling	Irish	“Dream” or “vision”
Aoife	Irish	From Old Irish for “beauty”
Angharad	Welsh	“Much loved”
Araceli	Spanish	“Altar of the sky”; a title of the Virgin Mary
Amparo	Spanish	“Protection, shelter, refuge”; from a title of the Virgin Mary
Amaya	Basque, Spanish	Variant of Amaia: “the end” in Basque

European A names for girls.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Aisha	Arabic	“Living, alive”
Amina	Arabic	From a word meaning “safe, secure”
Amira	Arabic	Feminine form of Amir: “commander, prince”
Asma	Arabic	“Supreme, higher”
Aziza	Arabic	Feminine form of Aziz: “powerful, respected, beloved”
Azra	Arabic	“Virgin, maiden”
Amani	Arabic	“Wishes”
Aliza	Hebrew	“Joyful”
Ahuva	Hebrew	“Beloved”
Atara	Hebrew	Hebrew form of Atarah: “crown”
Anjali	Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu	From Sanskrit: “salutation”
Amrita	Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali	Feminine form of Amrit: “immortal”
Aiko	Japanese	“Love, affection” plus “child” in one common spelling

Arabic, Hebrew, South Asian and Japanese A names.

The Akan names below are day names: each records the day of the week a girl was born.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Abena	Akan	“Born on Tuesday”
Adwoa	Akan	“Born on Monday”
Akosua	Akan	“Born on Sunday”
Ama	Akan	“Born on Saturday”
Abeni	Yoruba	“We prayed and we received”
Adaeze	Igbo	“Eldest daughter of the king”
Adanna	Igbo	“Eldest daughter of the father”
Amara	Igbo	“Grace”
Anahera	Māori	“Angel”

Akan, Yoruba, Igbo and Māori A names.

If a name comes from a culture outside your own family, learn how it is pronounced and used before you commit.

Gender Neutral A Names

Behind the Name lists each of these as both feminine and masculine. Several began as English surnames. You will find more in our gender neutral names guide.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Avery	English	From a surname based on Alberich or Alfred
Addison	English	From a surname: “son of Adam”
Aubrey	English	From Alberich: “elf” plus “ruler, king”
Ashley	English	From a surname: “ash tree clearing”
Alexis	Greek, French, English	“Helper” or “defender”
Angel	English	From Greek angelos: “messenger”
Arden	English	From a surname; from a Celtic word meaning “high”
Ariel	Hebrew	“Lion of God”
Aspen	English (modern)	The tree
Aster	English (rare)	The flower; from Greek aster: “star”
Azure	English (rare)	From the English word for “sky blue”
Ainsley	Scottish, English	From a surname taken from place names
Amal	Arabic	“Hope, aspiration”
Arya	Persian, Hindi, Malayalam	From an old Indo-Iranian root: “noble”
Akira	Japanese	“Bright” or “clear”, depending on the characters
Aeron	Welsh	From the river Aeron, or Welsh aeron: “berries”
Adi	Hebrew	“Jewel, ornament”
Abijah	Hebrew, biblical	“My father is Yahweh”
Abimbola	Yoruba	“Born to me with wealth”
Ayodele	Yoruba	“Joy has come home”
Amahle	Zulu	“The beautiful ones”
Ayanda	Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele	“They are increasing”
Aroha	Māori	“Love”

Gender neutral names that start with A.

Why A Names Are Loved, Plus Nicknames

A few plain reasons parents keep coming back to the first letter:

They open with a vowel, and many also end in an “a” sound (Amelia, Ava, Aria, Aurora).
The letter spans dozens of languages, so many family heritages are covered.
The range is wide: one syllable (Anne) to five (Alexandria), ancient (Agnes) to modern (Azalea).
Many long A names shorten neatly into an everyday nickname.

Full name	Nickname ideas
Abigail	Abby
Adelaide, Adeline, Addison	Addie
Alexandra	Alex, Ally, Lexi
Alessandra	Sandra
Allison	Ally
Amelia	Millie (a pet form for names with that sound)
Arabella	Bella
Astrid	Asta
Anna, Ana	Anya, Anouk, Annika, Anita
Anne	Annette

Nickname ideas for A names, each listed as a short or pet form on Behind the Name.

Sibling, Twin and Middle Name Ideas

These pairings are ideas, not rules. Sister or twin sets that share a letter work best when the names differ in length or ending:

Ada and Alice
Amelia and Aurora
Abigail and Anna
Adeline and Audrey
Astrid and Annika
Aoife and Aisling
Aviva and Ayelet
Aisha and Amina

For a brother, match from boy names that start with A, our broader baby boy names list, or unique boy names.

For middle names, contrast helps. A short middle balances a long first name, a longer middle gives a short first name some weight, and a middle that starts with a consonant keeps the two names from running together. Ideas: Amelia June, Anastasia June, Alice Josephine, Ava Josephine, Ada Josephine, Aria Hannah and Audrey Hannah.

The Initials Check and Other Quick Tests

Before you settle on girl names that start with A, run each finalist through four quick tests:

Initials: write out first, middle and last initials. A.C.E. and A.R.T. are charming. Other combinations spell words you would not choose, so swap the middle name if you spot a problem.
Say it out loud: call the full name across a room. A first name ending in “a” can blur into a surname that starts with a vowel.
Spelling: if there are several spellings (Aaliyah and Aliyah, Annalise and Anneliese), decide whether you mind correcting people.
Nicknames: check the table above. If you dislike the obvious short form, assume someone will use it anyway.

Ready to share the name? See our pregnancy announcement ideas and nursery themes.

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The Bottom Line

The letter A covers nearly every style: Amelia at the top of the charts, quiet classics like Alice and Anna, rare finds like Araminta and Anwen, and names from Arabic, Hebrew, Akan, Yoruba, Igbo, Japanese and Māori. Shortlist three to five, check the meaning, test the initials and say each one out loud for a week.

Once the name is settled, sleep is the next project. Our newborn sleep schedule week by week is a gentle place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most popular girl names that start with A?

Amelia leads. It ranked No. 4 for girls born in the United States in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration, and it is the only A name in either top 10. Other familiar A names include Ava, Abigail, Aria, Aurora, Alice, Anna and Audrey.

What are rare girl names that start with A?

Rare A names include Araminta, Amabel, Annora, Aveline, Aderyn, Anwen, Ailsa and Alethea. Behind the Name marks several of them as rare in English. The Social Security Administration leaves names with fewer than 5 occurrences out of its lists, so the very rarest never appear there.

What are cute or pretty A names for girls?

Taste is personal, but meaning can help. Aria means song or melody, Aurora means dawn, Amy means beloved, Allegra means cheerful and lively, and Anwen means very beautiful in Welsh. Azalea and Anemone are flower names, and Aviva is tied to the Hebrew word for spring.

What are short girl names that start with A?

Short A names with three or four letters include Ada, Ana, Aya, Amy, Ava, Alma, Alba, Ayla, Anya, Asha, Alva and Asta. Several began as pet forms: Ada is short for names like Adelaide, Anya is a Russian pet form of Anna, and Asta is short for Astrid.

What are biblical girl names that start with A?

Abigail and Anna are the best known: Abigail is a wife of King David in the Old Testament, and Anna is a New Testament prophetess. Less common choices include Adah, Abital, Ahinoam, Asenath, Atarah and Achsah from the Old Testament, and Apphia from the New Testament.

Which A names work for both girls and boys?

Avery, Addison, Aubrey, Ashley, Alexis, Angel, Arden, Ariel and Aspen are all listed by Behind the Name as both feminine and masculine. So are Akira from Japanese, Adi from Hebrew, Ayodele from Yoruba, Amahle from Zulu and Aroha from Māori. Several of the English ones began as surnames.

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