An A name is any name that begins with the letter A. Below are 100 A names for girls and boys, with the origin, the meaning, and how to say each one. Some are classic. Some are rare. All of them start with A.
If you like short A nicknames, our nickname ideas with A page covers that style.
What Counts as an A Name?
An A name simply starts with the letter A. It can be short like Ada, or long like Alexandra. Some A names sound soft. Others sound strong. This list has both. If you want the same idea in other letters, we keep letter lists like names that begin with F and boy names that start with C on the site too.
Quick Picks: 8 A Names to Start With
| Name | Origin and meaning | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Amelia | Germanic — work, industrious | Girls |
| Arthur | disputed, likely Celtic — bear | Boys |
| Aurelia | Latin — golden | Girls |
| Aria | Italian — air, melody | Girls |
| Asher | Hebrew — happy, blessed | Boys |
| Ada | Germanic — noble | Anyone |
| Aspen | English — the aspen tree | Anyone |
| Aiko | Japanese — beloved child | Girls |
A Names for Girls (26)
- Amelia (Germanic, work, industrious; uh-MEE-lee-uh) — classic and warm; Millie works as a short form.
- Abigail (Hebrew, father’s joy; AB-i-gayl) — steady and friendly; Abby is the usual nickname.
- Adelaide (Germanic, noble kind; AD-uh-layd) — grand and old; Addie keeps it light.
- Adeline (Germanic, noble; AD-uh-line) — soft and gentle; Addie or Lina.
- Alexandra (Greek, defender of the people; al-eg-ZAN-dra) — strong and long; Alex or Lexi.
- Alice (Old French and Germanic, noble) — short, clear, never out of use.
- Amanda (Latin, worthy of love; uh-MAN-da) — friendly; Mandy is old-fashioned now.
- Amy (Latin and French, beloved) — tiny and warm.
- Anna (Hebrew, grace; AH-na) — simple in every language.
- Annabel (Scottish and Latin, lovable) — soft with a storybook feel; Anna or Belle.
- Antonia (Latin, priceless) — Roman and formal; Toni is the easy version.
- April (Latin, to open; also the month) — bright and spring-like.
- Arabella (Latin via Scottish, yielding to prayer) — long and pretty; Bella or Ari.
- Araminta (English, meaning uncertain; ar-uh-MIN-ta) — rare and grand; Minty is the fun short form.
- Aria (Italian, air or melody) — musical and modern.
- Ariel (Hebrew, lion of God) — light and airy; works for both genders.
- Astrid (Old Norse, divinely beautiful; AS-trid) — cool and strong.
- Athena (Greek, meaning disputed; goddess of wisdom) — bold and mythic.
- Audrey (Old English, noble strength) — classic and calm.
- Aurora (Latin, dawn; aw-ROAR-a) — dreamy and soft; Rory is a short form.
- Autumn (English, the season) — warm and earthy.
- Ava (Germanic and Latin, life; meaning disputed) — short and very popular.
- Avery (English, elf counsel) — soft and modern; used for boys too.
- Azalea (Greek, dry; also the flower) — bright and unusual.
- Aisling (Irish, dream or vision; ASH-ling) — poetic; the “sh” surprises people.
- Aoife (Irish, beauty, radiant; EE-fa) — short, strong, and very Irish.
More soft picks like these are on our cool girl names list, and the European ones live in European girl names.
A Names for Boys (26)
- Aaron (Hebrew, mountain of strength; meaning disputed; AIR-on) — old and steady.
- Abraham (Hebrew, father of many; uh-BRAH-ham) — grand and biblical; Abe.
- Adam (Hebrew, man, earth; AD-am) — the simplest classic there is.
- Adrian (Latin, from Hadria; AY-dree-an) — smooth and modern.
- Aidan (Irish, little fire; AY-dan) — light and friendly.
- Alan (Celtic, meaning disputed, sometimes rock or handsome) — plain and reliable.
- Albert (Germanic, noble and bright) — old-fashioned and kind; Al or Bertie.
- Alexander (Greek, defender of the people) — long and powerful; Alex.
- Alfred (Old English, elf counsel) — very old; Alfie is the soft version.
- Alistair (Scottish form of Alexander; AL-uh-stair) — formal with a Scottish edge.
- Amos (Hebrew, carried, burden) — short and biblical.
- Andrew (Greek, manly) — classic and friendly; Andy or Drew.
- Angus (Scottish Gaelic, one strength; ANG-us) — strong and Scottish.
- Ansel (Germanic, god helmet, protected by God) — rare and gentle.
- Anthony (Latin, meaning disputed, often priceless) — long and familiar; Tony.
- Archer (English, bowman) — active and modern.
- Arlo (English or Spanish, meaning disputed) — soft and trendy.
- Arthur (disputed, likely Celtic, bear) — legendary and classic.
- Asher (Hebrew, happy, blessed) — warm and popular.
- Atticus (Latin, from Attica; AT-i-kus) — bookish and strong.
- August (Latin, great, venerable) — old and elegant; Gus or Auggie.
- Austin (Latin via French, venerable) — friendly and familiar.
- Axel (Scandinavian form of Absalom, father of peace) — bold and modern.
- Alden (Old English, old friend) — quiet and rare.
- Alaric (Germanic, ruler of all; AL-a-rik) — a Gothic king’s name; grand.
- Apollo (Greek, meaning disputed; god of music and light) — dramatic and mythic.
For more boys’ lists in the same format, see baby male names and black man names.
Rare A Names (12)
- Aurelia (Latin, golden; aw-REE-lee-a) — Roman and rich.
- Althea (Greek, healer; al-THEE-a) — soft and rare.
- Amara (Igbo, grace; Sanskrit, immortal; Latin, bitter) — meaning depends on the language.
- Anais (Persian and French, from Anahita; ah-na-EES) — pretty and French.
- Anastasia (Greek, resurrection) — long and royal; Ana or Stasia.
- Ariadne (Greek, most holy; ar-ee-AD-nee) — mythic and musical.
- Aveline (French, hazelnut) — soft and old.
- Ayelet (Hebrew, doe; ah-YEH-let) — light and unusual.
- Aviva (Hebrew, spring) — bright and short.
- Anouk (Dutch and French, grace; ah-NOOK) — short and chic.
- Avani (Sanskrit, earth; uh-VAH-nee) — calm and natural.
- Amalia (Germanic, work, industrious) — formal cousin of Amelia.
If rare is your style, our rare girl names and strange names lists push that idea much further.
Short A Names (8)
- Ada (Germanic, noble; AY-da) — two syllables, four letters.
- Anya (Russian, grace; AHN-ya) — short and warm.
- Aya (Japanese, colourful or design; AH-ya) — tiny and soft.
- Asa (Hebrew, healer; AY-sa) — gentle and old.
- Ari (Hebrew, lion; AH-ree) — three letters, big meaning.
- Avis (Latin, bird; AY-vis) — old and unusual.
- Aki (Japanese, autumn or bright; AH-kee) — clean and short.
- Alva (Hebrew, bright; Latin, white; AL-va) — soft and vintage.
A Names From Nature (12)
- Aspen (English, the aspen tree) — clean and cool.
- Aster (Greek, star; also a flower) — delicate.
- Alder (English, the alder tree) — woody and calm.
- Amaryllis (Greek, a flower; am-uh-RIL-is) — long and showy.
- Anise (Greek, an herb; an-EES) — spicy and unusual.
- Arrow (English word name) — sharp and quick.
- Arbor (Latin, tree) — quiet and green.
- Almond (English, the nut tree) — soft and sweet.
- Ashby (English, ash tree farm) — surname-style and calm.
- Avocet (English, a wading bird; AV-uh-set) — rare bird name.
- Avens (English, a wildflower) — soft and uncommon.
- Acacia (Greek, the acacia tree; uh-KAY-sha) — warm and ancient.
Our nature names guide covers trees, flowers, birds and water in far more depth.
A Names From Around the World (16)
- Aiko (Japanese, beloved child; AY-ko) — sweet and simple.
- Akiko (Japanese, bright child; ah-KEE-ko) — light and melodic.
- Ayanna (Swahili and Arabic, beautiful flower) — warm and strong.
- Aziza (Arabic and Swahili, precious, beloved; ah-ZEE-za) — rich and rare.
- Anaya (Sanskrit, unique; Hebrew, God answered) — soft and modern.
- Aditi (Sanskrit, boundless, free; uh-DEE-tee) — ancient and open.
- Amira (Arabic, princess; ah-MEER-a) — bold and royal.
- Amaya (Japanese and Basque, night rain; ah-MY-a) — airy and pretty.
- Aina (Japanese, love; Hawaiian, land; AY-na) — small and warm.
- Alina (Slavic and Greek, light; ah-LEE-na) — bright and soft.
- Anjali (Sanskrit, offering; un-JAH-lee) — gentle and graceful.
- Asha (Sanskrit, hope; Swahili, life; AH-sha) — simple and full of meaning.
- Aroha (Māori, love; ah-RO-ha) — warm and open.
- Ailbhe (Irish, white; AL-va) — old and very Irish.
- Arjun (Sanskrit, bright, white; AR-jun) — strong and classic.
- Aisha (Arabic, alive, she who lives; ah-EE-sha) — warm and beloved.
For more names from outside Europe and America, see weird Asian names.
How to Choose an A Name
Say it out loud first. A names are short, so they are easy to test. Say the name three times with the last name.
Check the pronunciation of Irish and Sanskrit names. Aisling, Aoife, Ailbhe, Anjali and Aditi do not sound the way they look. Learn the sound before you commit.
Pick the length you like. A names run from two letters to twelve. Short names are easy to spell. Long names give more nicknames.
Look at the initials. Two A names together (Amelia Avery) or an A with a middle name can spell something. Say the full set and check the sounds.
Test it against your surname. Our middle name chooser does exactly that — drop the first name and the last name in and it shows you how the whole thing sounds.
Wait a week. Write five A names down. Come back in seven days. The one that still sounds good is usually the right one.
Common Questions About A Names
What are the most popular A names right now? Amelia, Ava, Aurora, Aria and Abigail are common for girls. Alexander, Asher, Arthur, August and Austin are common for boys. Public name records in your country show the exact numbers year by year.
What is a rare A name? Aurelia, Althea, Anais, Ariadne, Aveline, Alden and Alaric are uncommon. Always check how a name is used where you live, because rare in one country can be common in another.
Which A names are easy to spell? Ada, Amy, Anna, Ava, Ari, Adam, Alan and Amos. Short names with a clear sound cause the fewest problems at school.
How do you say Aisling and Aoife? Aisling is ASH-ling, like the start of “ash”. Aoife is EE-fa, with a long E. Both are Irish, and both surprise people who meet them for the first time.
Can a short A name work for a baby and an adult? Yes. Names like Ada, Aviva, Ari, Asa, Anna and Amy sound sweet on a child and still feel right on an adult.
Do any A names work for either gender? Yes. Ariel, Avery, Aspen, Asa, Ari, Ashby and Aki are used for both. We keep a longer list on our gender-neutral names and unisex names pages.
Wrapping Up: Picking Your A Name
An A name is easy to spot and easy to remember. Some are classic and safe, like Anna and Adam. Some are rare and unusual, like Aurelia and Alaric. What matters is the sound and the spelling.
Pick five A names you like from this list. Say them out loud with your last name. Cross out the ones that trip you. Whatever is left is probably the right one.
Megan Anderson is a names and lifestyle writer at Nameiix.com. She enjoys discovering uncommon names, classic favorites, cute nicknames, and creative naming ideas. Megan creates simple guides that help readers explore names, their meanings, origins, and different ways to use them.
