This is a list of submitted names in which the usage is American; and the pattern is *a.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Panda f American (Rare)The origin of the word panda is the Nepalese word
nigalya ponya, which means 'eater of bamboo'.
Papaya f EnglishFrom the fruit papaya, which is a large, yellow, melonlike fruit of a tropical American shrub or small tree, Carica papaya, eaten raw or cooked.
Patina f English (Modern, Rare)Patina is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of stone, on copper, bronze and similar metals, on wooden furniture or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure.
Pavia f English (Rare), Medieval EnglishMedieval English name of uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a derivation from Old French
pavie "peach" and a derivation from Old French
Pavie "woman from
Pavia", a historic city in Italy... [
more]
Pecola f African American, American (South)Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. The American author Toni Morrison used it in her novel
The Bluest Eye (1970) for the protagonist, a young African-American girl named Pecola Breedlove who descends into madness as a result of abuse.
Penna f AmericanThe Latin word for "feather, wing". American actor Ian Ziering has a daughter named Penna, born 2013.
Peola f African AmericanUsed in Fannie Hurst's novel
Imitation of Life (1933) and its 1934 film adaptation, where it belongs to a young light-skinned African-American woman who decides to pass as white.
Persia f English (Rare)From the name of the Middle Eastern country
Persia, now referred to as Iran. Its name is derived from Avestan
Parsa, the ancient tribal name of the people ruled by Cyrus the Great.... [
more]
Petrova f English, LiteratureRussian patronymic last name. Petrova is the name of one of the Fossil sisters in the book (and movie) 'Ballet Shoes' by Noel Streatfeild.
Phila f EnglishFrom Ancient Greek φιλος
(philos) meaning "lover, friend", or a shortened form of names beginning with
Phila.
Plavka f American (Rare)In the case of American singer Plavka Coleridge (née Lonich) the name was derived from a Croatian worn meaning "blondie". It is not used as a name in Croatia.
Plutina f American (South, Archaic)Probably an invented name, used primarily in the Southern United States in the 19th century. Plutina Cox is the heroine of Waldron Baily's novel 'The Heart of the Blue Ridge' (1915), set in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
Poinsettia f English (Rare)From the flower
Euphorbia pulcherrima, which was named for an American Minister to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who discovered the flower in 1828.
Prathia f African AmericanThe Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall, a theologian and ethicist, was active in SNCC and a prominent civil rights movement speaker—she was said to have influenced Dr. King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, having used the phrase repeatedly in a speech he heard in 1962.
Preshea f EnglishA notable fictional bearer of this name is Preshea Villentia, née Buss from Gail Carriger’s Finishing School book series. A notable bearer of a variant of this name is gospel singer Preashea Hilliard.
Quintessa f African American (Rare)Variant of
Quintella inspired by the word
quintessence, meaning "the fifth element", "aether". According to Medieval science, the quintessence was the material that filled the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere... [
more]
Raamla f African AmericanIn the case of American television writer Raamla Mohamed she was named after a little girl who had the same name her mom later added an extra a so her name could be pronounced correctly
Rea f Croatian, English, German (Rare), Catalan (Rare), Galician, Italian, Spanish (Rare), Filipino, Hungarian, Estonian, Romansh, AlbanianForm of
Rhea in several languages.
Redmona f English (American, Rare)Feminization of
Redmon. This was the original middle name of the American author and poet Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961). She had it changed to Redmon later in life.
Reeva f English (Rare)Possibly an Anglicized spelling of
Riva. This name was borne by South African model Reeva Steenkamp (1983-2013), who was shot dead by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius.