Names starting with A

Ada to Ayla.

1. Ada

   Girl

   Ada and a place in the family. In some Igbo communities, Ada names an honoured first-daughter role and can also be used to address women of the community. That family connection may be the part you want to carry forward.†

   † The role and forms of address vary by community; the name does not establish a bearer’s birth order or duties.

   The Igbo meaning. Ada can mean a first daughter, or more broadly a daughter. It is also used as a feminine given name and a term of address in Igbo.†

   † The first-daughter sense and the broader use for a daughter belong to different contexts.

   † This is the Igbo name; other names spelled Ada have different histories.

2. Alexander

   Boy

   From Alexandros to Alexander. Alexander is the Latinized form of the Greek name Alexandros.

   Defender of men. Its Greek parts bring together “defend” or “protect” and the word for “man”, giving the sense “defender of men”.

3. Ali

   Boy

   A name with a place in Islamic history. Ali has a close historical connection to Muhammad’s family: Ali ibn Abi Talib was his cousin and son-in-law, and an early Muslim caliph. That association may matter alongside the sound of the name.

   Lofty or exalted. In Arabic, Ali (عليّ) means “lofty” or “exalted”. It comes from a root meaning “to be high”.†

   † This meaning belongs to the Arabic masculine name عليّ; other names spelled Ali have separate histories.

4. Aria

   Gender-neutral

   Which Aria story feels yours?. Aria has separate English and Persian histories. You might be drawn to its Italian musical sense or to a Persian family connection.

   The musical Aria. The modern English feminine name comes from Italian aria: “air”, and also a musical composition.†

   † The Italian word and its musical sense belong to the English name's history; they are not the meaning of Persian Aria.

   The Persian history. Persian Aria is a masculine given name, written آریا. Its history connects to arya, an ancient term Iranian peoples used for themselves.†

   † The ancient Iranian element is a historical self-designation, not a modern character trait.

5. Arthur

   Boy

   A place in the Arthurian stories. Arthur carries a connection with the legendary King Arthur and the medieval stories told around him.

   Is Arthur a bear name?. Celtic bear roots are one proposed explanation; the Roman family name Artorius is another. You can enjoy the bear connection while keeping that uncertainty in mind.†

   † These are proposed derivations, not settled translations.

   A glimpse of Arthur in 1534. Arthur appears in a Coventry record from 1534. If you like a name with a long English history, that is a small glimpse of it in use.

6. Athena

   Girl

   Wisdom with a practical side. In Greek myth, Athena brings together wisdom, practical skills and prudent warfare.

   A story, rather than a translation. Athena’s literal meaning is unknown. If wisdom is what draws you to the name, that connection comes through the goddess.†

   † The goddess’s associations with wisdom and skills are not a literal translation of the name.

   From Greek myth to a given name. Athena is an ancient Greek divine name. It is also used as a feminine given name in English.

7. Aurora

   Girl

   Dawn in Latin and Roman myth. Aurora means “dawn” in Latin. In Roman mythology, Aurora is also the goddess of dawn.

8. Ayla

   Girl

   A ring of light around the moon. In Turkish, Ayla is a word for a halo, such as the ring of light that can circle the moon.†

   † A lunar halo is one recorded sense; the Turkish word can also describe other halos.

   † This is the Turkish name's history; other names spelled Ayla have separate accounts.