We all know newborns are awesome and authentically adorable — but the baby-name-choosing process? That one can be absolutely abhorrent. So why not start at the very beginning? (If it was good enough for Julie Andrews…) Whether you’re aiming for the Jewish practice of naming your child using the first letter of a deceased relative’s name, or are looking for some admirable alliteration among sibling names (twins named Addison and Allison, oh my!) or just in the market for a nice vowel pairing with your last name, try combing through our list of baby names beginning with “A.”
We’ve broken up some of our favorites below into gendered and gender-neutral categories, with buckets for more traditional names versus those that are a bit trendier and more edgy.
Here are our best picks for baby names beginning with “A.”
Classic ‘A’ Names For Girls
- Abigail / Abby (a classic Hebrew name often inspired by First Lady Abigail Adams)
- Adeline (an oldie French name that means “noble,” but a good, classic name! Plus, it’s become more popular in recent years thanks to the Blake Lively movie)
- Agnes (Greek, meaning “pure,” but it’s such a cute, grandma-chic name)
- Alexandra (feminine of Alexander, aka “defender of men” and don’t they need it)
- Alice (a German name that means “noble;” trip to Wonderland optional)
- Alicia (the Spanish version of Alice, plus there’s Alicia Keys, Alicia Silverstone, the list goes on)
- Allison (English, meaning “of nobility”)
- Amalia (means “God’s work” in Hebrew)
- Amanda (meaning “worthy of love,” and that’s just the perfect name for your little one)
- Amelia (German, meaning “noble,” and it’s such a stunner of a name)
- Amy (from the Old French Amee, meaning loved. Plus, yknow, the classic gothic Queen Amy Lee)
- Andrea (the feminine version of Andrew, this name means “strong;” and we love that)
- Angelina (it means “angel,” but we also think about the ever-so-iconic Angelina Jolie)
- Anna (Latin form of Hebrew Hannah, meaning “grace”)
- Aria (Italian and Hebrew, meaning “air; song or melody; lion.” Plus, any PLL fans will love it)
- Audrey (believe it or not, Hepburn’s first name comes from the Old English name Aethelthryth, meaning noble and strength)
- Ava (meaning “life; bird; water, island,” this has so many meanings in one. Plus, Ava Gardner is #lifegoals for any stylish baby)
- Averna (meaning “queen of the underworld!” We’re hooked)
- Avery (from the Old English “aelf,” aka elf, and “ric,” which means king or power. So, powerful elf children, have at it.)
- Autumn (who doesn’t love a seasonal name?!)
Trendy ‘A’ Names for Girls
- Aaliyah (Arabic, meaning “heavens, highborn, exalted” and of course, the iconic songstress)
- Adalynn (it’s a cool spelling of Adeline)
- Addison (a less common variant of ever-popular Madison)
- Aisha (Arabic; Swahili meaning “living, prosperous”)
- Aisling (Irish language name meaning “dream” or “vision”)
- Alaina (variant of Alana with a little pizzazz)
- Alana (from Old High German, meaning “precious”)
- Alexa (name them this and train them to play music on demand)
- Alma (it’s a Southern Belle name that has such a sweet meaning: “nurturing, soul”)
- Amada (if it’s good enough for Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling…)
- Anora (we’re all obsessed with that 2024 movie, and it’s such a unique name meaning “honor”
- Anya (so, it’s a Russian diminutive of Anna meaning “grace” but we also think of the iconic Buffy character)
- Apple (good enough for Gwyneth)
- April (bringing May flowers and all that)
- Ariana (Grande’s giving this one a resurgence)
- Arleth (Spanish, meaning “honor”)
- Aspen (like the tree and the town in Colorado)
- Astrid (did you know that Astrid is Scandinavian for “divinely beautiful”?!)
- Athena (yes, like the Grecian goddess of wisdom and battle strategy)
- Aura (it’s a cute, hippie-like name that happens to be Greek for “soft breeze”)
- Aurora (Latin meaning “dawn”….and yknow, the iconic Disney princess)
- Aviva (while this name gives gothic vibes, it’s quite a pretty, girly name meaning “springlike, fresh, dewy”)
Unisex ‘A’ Names
- Adel (so many meanings in one like “fair, honest; noble”)
- Adhira (a Hindi name meaning “moon”)
- Adley (a Hebrew name meaning “judicious”)
- Adrian (from the Venetic and Illyrian “adur,” which means sea or water)
- Alexis (Greek, meaning “defender”)
- Amen (the happy name means “the hidden one”)
- Andrea (it actually means “manly” despite its popularity among girls)
- Andy (another great name that means “strong and manly”)
- Angel (aren’t they all though?)
- Ari (Hebrew, meaning “lion of God”)
- Ariel (he’s a sprite in The Tempest; she’s a sea princess in The Little Mermaid — you take your pick)
- Aris (it’s the modern Greek spelling of Ares, the God of war, and it’s growing in popularity in girls)
- Artemis (another Greek name, this time the name of the Goddess of the Hunt)
- Asani (Swahili, “rebellious”)
- Ashley (this ’80s/’90s girl favorite is still going strong, but now it’s returned to its gender-neutral roots! Hi, handsome Ashley Wilkes from Gone With the Wind)
- Atlas (Greek, meaning “bearer of the heavens”)
- Auden (this one is so sweet because it means “old friend”)
- August (another one that’s traditionally male-oriented but honestly sounds beautiful for anyone)
Classic ‘A’ Names for Boys
- Aaron (another Biblical classic, meaning “lofty”)
- Abner (this vintage name means “father of light”)
- Abraham (the Bible or Lincoln — take your inspo pick)
- Adam (you can’t get more O.G. than this guy)
- Aden (this classic name literaly means “little and fiery”)
- Adrian (this name has been popular for decades, and for good reason)
- Aiden / Aidan (this one may have peaked in the early aughts thanks to Sex and the City, but it’s still going)
- Albert (German, meaning”noble, bright”)
- Alexander (the Great, Graham Bell, Hamilton…plenty of good namesakes)
- Alistair (this striking name is not only vintage, and classic, but it means “defending men”)
- Allen (Celtic name meaning “harmony”)
- Amir (Arabic or Hebrew meaning “prince, ruler; treetop”)
- Andrew (patron saint of Scotland and Russia, meaning “manly, brave”)
- Anthony (from a Roman clan name, meaning “highly praiseworthy”)
- Antonio (a variant of “Anthony” — or a fan of Banderas)
- Arthur (he pulled a sword from a stone, c’mon. Badass)
- Asher (Hebrew meaning “fortunate, blessed”)
- Ashton (English, meaning “ash trees place”)
- Atticus (this Greek name is often attached to noble men)
- Austin (Latin, “great, magnificent”)
Trendy ‘A’ Names for Boys
- Abram (Hebrew for “exalted father”)
- Ace (meaning “unity,” also just seems like a winning kid in general)
- Adonis (Greek, for “lord,” so talk about a royal name!)
- Alfie (English, meaning “sage” or “wise”)
- Almond (the name means both the delicious nut and of “noble strength;” talk about a two-in-one)
- Alvaro (Spanish, meaning “elf warrior”…. it’s so cool!)
- Amedeo (the strong unique, Italian form of Amadeus meaning “lover of God”)
- Archer (got a Sagittarius on your hands?)
- Archie (you know he’ll be in good royal company)
- Arlo (can’t get more unique than this Irish and English name)
- Armani (both the name of an iconic brand and a strong name meaning “soldier”)
- Arrow (another, perfect strong Sagittarius name)
- Aslan (a pretty perfect name for a little Leo)
- Asta (this unique Norwegian name means “divine strength,” and it’s the name of the iconic lead in Black Clover)
- Astro (want a celestial name? Try out this Greek name meaning “star”)
- Aurelio (this shining name meaning “the golden one”)
- Axel (Danish, meaning “father of peace”)
- Ayden / Aydian (a snazzier version of plain-old Aidan)
- Azriel (this name is perfect for someone wanting to give their son a coolio name)
Still nothing? Try this list of these Sweet & Strong Southern Girl Nameson for size.
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