Boy names ending with a seem like the exception, right? Girls’ names end with a, while boys’ names … well, they probably end with n or r. Some consonant.
Except it’s completely wrong.
For every Ryan, there’s an Ellen.
In English, no combination of letters or sounds defines a name’s perceived gender. We rely on usage. And usage changes over time. Kate is a girl, Nate is a boy, and Tate? Probably a boy, but you’ll have to ask.
By the end of the 1970s, a-ending boy name Joshua had entered the US Top Ten. The Old Testament choice fit with David and John, but had a softer sound. After an age with names like Robert and Steven at the top of the charts, Joshua ushered in a new era.
Forty years later, boy names ending with a have become mainstream favorites.
BIBLICAL BOY NAMES ENDING WITH A
ASA
An Old Testament king, and a name meaning doctor. In our mini name era, Asa could wear well.
AQUILA
One of the few New Testament names on this list, Aquila comes from the Latin word for eagle.
ELIJAH
An ancient prophet, and a very popular name for modern boys.
ELISHA
Elisa follows Elijah in the Old Testament. It could be a hit, but the similarity between Elisha and 80s favorite Alicia may give parents pause.
EZRA
Biblical and literary, thanks to Ezra Pound and Ezra Jack Keats.
HEZEKIAH
Another Old Testament king, with stylish nicknames Kai and Zeke.
One of the most obscure Old Testament options on this list, Hosea does have a great meaning: salvation.
IRA
A Hebrew name meaning watchful, Ira fell out of favor for many years. But now, with Max and Asa so stylish, Ira might be ready for revival.
ISAIAH
Another Old Testament prophet and Top 100 name since 1996.
JEBEDIAH
Okay, there’s no Jebediah in the Bible. It’s a mash-up of nickname Jeb and Jedidiah. But it fits with the Old Testament style.
JEDIDIAH
One of several boy names ending with a currently rising in the popularity charts.
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah was a bullfrog, or so says the 1971 hit “Joy to the World” from Three Dog Night. It became Jeremy in English, and in recent memory, Jeremy was the more popular form. But thanks to our love of boy names ending with a, Jeremiah is back on top.
JONAH
This name means dove, but the prophet was swallowed by a fish. Jonah followed Joshua, Noah and other a-enders up the charts.
JOSHUA
A former #1 name, Joshua paved the way for boy names ending with a.
JOSIAH
A former king of Judah, and a current Top 100 choice in the US.
JUDAH
Jacob’s son, Judah lent his name to a tribe, and eventually a kingdom. Short form Jude appears in the Old Testament, plus brings to mind The Beatles’ hit and Hollywood A-lister Jude Law.
MICAH
Sometimes seen as an update for traditional Michael, Micah comes from a longer Old Testament prophet’s name – Micaiah.
NEHEMIAH
After years of obscurity, Nehemiah has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1998.
NOAH
One of the best-known Old Testament figures, Noah built the ark, gathered the animals, and survived an epic flood. It has a long history of use, but first entered the US Top 100 in 1995, and held the #1 spot in the US from 2013 to 2016.
OBADIAH
Another minor prophet, and a name every bit as wearable as Hezekiah or Nehemiah.
URIAH
This Old Testament figure lent his name to Charles Dickens’ villainous Uriah Heep. Dickens’ character, in turn, inspired the 1970s band to adopt it as their name.
ZACHARIAH
Zachary had a good run, but the Old Testament Zachariah fits in best with a-ending boy names.
ZECHARIAH
A cousin to Zachariah, but leading to the nickname Zeke instead of Zach.
ZEDEKIAH
Another Old Testament king, with a name that we might’ve invented if it didn’t already exist.
BOY NAMES ENDING WITH A FROM THE MAP
ARIZONA
Sometimes heard for girls, but with potential for boys, too.
CUBA
Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. put his place name on the list of possibilities.
DAKOTA
It’s the name of a Sioux people, as well as two US states – North and South Dakota. It’s slightly more popular for boys, but used in big numbers for girls, too, especially in the late 1990s. And, as the name of a Native American tribe, this name may be controversial in some circles.
INDIANA
With the adventurous Dr. Indiana Jones answering to this name, it is easy to imagine this place name for a son. Hat not required.
KENYA
The name of an African nation, Kenya rose in use in the 1960s. It’s more popular for girls, but seems fitting for a son, too.
NEVADA
Like Kenya and Arizona, it’s use more for girls, but feels very accessible for a son, too.
IMPORTED A-ENDING BOY NAMES
AKIRA
As in Japanese filmmaker Kurosawa, he of such screen classics as Seven Samurai. It means bright, and sounds fierce.
ISA
The Arabic form of Jesus. It’s also spelled Issa, Essa, and Eissa – the latter is the form Janet Jackson chose for her son in 2017.
KOA
It’s not exactly an import. Koa means warrior in Hawaiian. Could it be the next Kai?
LUCA
The Italian form of Luke, Luca sits just outside the current Top 100.
MUSA
The Arabic form of Moses.
NICOLA and NIKOLA
It leans feminine in the US, but it’s masculine in Italy and several Slavic languages. The fame of inventor Nikola Tesla raises the name’s profile just slightly for boys.
SASHA
It’s masculine in Moscow, the go-to Russian nickname for Alexander. In the US, it feels feminine, but a handful of high profile figures, from athletes to celebrity kids, make this one feel more unisex as a-ending boy names catch on.
SHASTA
CS Lewis used this name for a male character in The Horse and His Boy. The Shasta daisy makes it feel feminine. Like Dakota, it’s the originally name of a Native American tribe, so tread carefully.
SHIA
From a Hebrew name meaning gift, Shia makes this name thanks to actor Shia LaBoeuf.
MORE BOY NAMES ENDING WITH A
DANA
Originally a surname for someone of Danish ancestry, Dana started out on Team Blue. Then it caught on for girls, peaking in the 1970s and 80s. Give it a few more years, and Dana might follow Luca and Koa right up the popularity charts.
GARCIA
We love a good surname name, so how ’bout Garcia?
MCKENNA
It’s heavily used for girls, but McKenna sounds like a potentially unisex choice.
SEQUOIA
Tree names succeed for boys and girls alike. Besides, Sequoia is so much more. In the early 1800s, Sequoia, a leader of the Cherokee nation, created the first writing system for his native tongue.
What are your favorite boy names ending with a? What should I add to this list?
First published October 4, 2013, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on May 27, 2020.
Lovely list! Some others to add:
Enea is the Italian version of Aeneas, and Mattia is their equivalent of Matthias.
Andrea tends to be given to girls in English, but in many cultures it’s more popular for boys (it does come for the Greek for “man”, after all).
Baraka (Arabic for “blessing”) was the birth name of Barack Obama’s father. He changed it when he converted away from Islam.
Abdullah (Arabic for “servant of God”) was the father of the Prophet Muhammad, while Moustafa (Arabic for “chosen one”) was one of the Prophet’s titles.
Khalifa (meaning “leader” or literally “caliph”) is another popular name from the Islamic world.
Krishna (Sanskrit for “dark” or “black”) is the Hindu god of love and protection. His follower, Arjuna (Sanskrit for “white” or “clear”), is one of the great heroes of Indian epic poetry.
So many amazing names!
Thanks Hannah – these are great!
Thanks Hannah! I can especially see Mattia catching on, but these are all great.
Love Zebediah, Koa, Shia
I would like to add
Lorca
Jefta /Jeftha / Japhta / Yefta
Ischa
Esca
Valka
Yucca / Yuca / Yukka
Mattia
Giora
Kuba
Ikaya
Zappa
Nevarra
There are also Iranian names like Reza and Morteza, and Zoroastrian derived names like Mithra and Asha.
I LOVE THIS LIST. I definitely feel Zebediah was missed, but I love Biblical names. I guess Sasha is technically diminutive, but I also love the name and think it’s worth mentioning.
My style is all backwards. I love a bunch of girls names that end in -o (Sparrow, Echo, Indigo) and a loooot of boys names that end in -a (Iska, Alaska, Arancaya, Dhaka, Jakarta, Ithaca, Hezekiah, Zedekiah, Shasta, Zephaniah, Zephariah…there are probably even more that I”m forgetting) XD
Also Hamza, and Isa (Jesus in Arabic) and Abdullah. Many Russian names have a diminutive ending in A: Dima, Deniska, Kostya, Borya…
I adore Ziah or pronounced Zyah. Asta then Israeli names Teva(nature), Geva(hill), Gilboa, Aviah and how did you exclude Shia or Shaya. Shia LeBOuf
A good point, Liz – Shia should definitely have made the list! And your others are great suggestions, too.
I adore Ziah or pronounced Zyah. Asta then Israeli names Teva(nature), Geva(hill), Gilboa, Aviah and how did you exclude Shia or Shaya. Shia LeBOuf
Funnily enough, the only person with a state name that I’ve ever met was a male Nevada who lived in Nevada. It was weird, but maybe it was just him. I suppose you’d have pronunciation issues anywhere outside the west coast, though.
I also went to high school with a Jeremiah, who went by Miah most of the time. He was a cool dude.
I love Asa and Nikola (but only with the k).
We went with Asa for our little boy, born this summer, and I have to admit I hadn’t braced myself for the number of people who’d mistake it for a girl’s name. (Or who’d mispronounce it. Who’da thunk?) So be it! I love it, and for the most part the reactions we’ve heard have all been really positive.
I love a lot of them. More -a/-ah ending names are my favourites for boys than girls actually.
My favourites I’d actually consider are all pretty Jew-y: Judah, Ezra, Micah, Akiva, Asa, Nechemya (<–a form of Nehemiah, which isn't as much my favourite), Azaria.
And my brother is a faaairly popular A name that's top 20 in the US, but growing up I called him Russian diminutive Alyosha. I still like Alyosha.
Also due solely to the boys I knew growing up in the ancient days of yore (the '90s), Ilya is a cute name for cute boys and Noah/Jonah are douches.
Ha! I knew a d***** named Ilya. He was cute though.
I believe that Elisha is actually usually pronounced similarly to Elijah, with a long I sound in the middle. There’s an actress named Elisha Cuthbert who pronounces it like Alicia, though, and I think she’s affected how a lot of people perceive and pronounce the name.
It’s got the “lee” sound in Hebrew. I’ve only heard Elisha on a boy with the Hebrew sounds in it, but I don’t know what’s more popular in English.
Eli Manning’s given name is Elisha.
Adina, now used almost exclusively for girls, was a male name in the Bible, a warrior no less (Chronicles, 11:42).
Azariah is another masculine Biblical name.
I like Ezra and Josiah.
Ira is also feminine, the pet form of the Russian Irina.
One I like is Zebediah (sometimes spelled Zebadiah) nn Zeb.
I like Koa and Nikola (Tesla!)
I love Ira so much…I guess I was never introduced to the concept of it being an “old man name” when I first heard it so I can totally picture it on a baby. Ezra and Ira are right in league stylistically in my head, but Ira has the lovely perk of being underused still.
There was a boy Nicola in the year ahead of me in elementary school. It confused me a bit at the time.
ooh sequoia. I like that.