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 looking 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. Or, honestly, you could just stop here and name your kid Amelia because personally, I think it’s the best name there is. What do you mean I’m abusing my baby-name-article-writing power here? I’m just trying to advocate for an awesome little boy named Amelia is all! No? Fine, don’t listen to me. Here are our (other) best picks for baby names beginning with “A.”
Classic ‘A’ names for girls
- Ava (Ava Gardner is #lifegoals for any stylish baby)
- Adeline (an oldie but a goodie, more popular in recent years thanks to Blake Lively)
- Aveline (a more unique spin on Adeline)
- Amanda (meaning “worthy of love”)
- Amelia (best name ever)
- Amalia (means “God’s work” in Hebrew)
- Alexandra (feminine of Alexander, meaning “defender of men” and don’t they need it)
- Alice (trip to Wonderland optional)
- Abigail / Abby (a classic inspired by First Lady Abigail Adams)
- Averna (meaning “queen of the underworld”! We’re hooked)
- Audrey (believe it or not, Hepburn’s first name comes from the Old English name Aethelthryth, meaning noble and strength)
- Anna (Latin form of Hebrew Hannah, meaning “grace”)
- Alicia (Key, Silverstone, the list goes on)
- Allison (English, meaning “of nobility”)
- Amy (from the Old French Amee, meaning loved)
Trendy ‘A’ names for girls
- Alexa (name them this and train them to play music on demand)
- Alana (from Old High German, meaning “precious”)
- Alaina (variant of Alana with a little pizzazz)
- Aria (a musical name with a serious elegance factor)
- Amada (if it’s good enough for Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling…)
- Aisling (Irish language name meaning “dream” or “vision”)
- Aubrey (umm, apparently this French-origin name means “elf ruler”?! Sign us up!)
- Addison (a less common variant of ever-popular Madison)
- April (bringing May flowers and all that)
- Apple (good enough for Gwyneth)
- Aurora (Latin meaning “dawn”)
- Aaliyah (RIP, queen)
- Ariana (Grande’s giving this one a resurgence)
Unisex ‘A’ names
- Angel (aren’t they all though?)
- Avery (from the Old English “aelf,” aka elf, and “ric,” which means king or power. So, powerful elf children, have at it.)
- Adrian (from the Venetic and Illyrian “adur,” which means sea or water)
- 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)
- Adley (a Hebrew name meaning “judicious”)
- Autumn (yes we mostly know girl Autumns too, but who said this seasonal name couldn’t be any gender?)
- August (another one that’s traditionally male-oriented but honestly sounds beautiful for anyone)
- Ariel (he’s a sprite in The Tempest; she’s a sea princess in The Little Mermaid — you take your pick)
- Andrea (it actually means “manly” despite its popularity among girls)
- Adhira (a Hindi name meaning “moon”)
Classic ‘A’ names for boys
- Asher (Hebrew meaning “fortunate, blessed”)
- Adam (you can’t get more O.G. than this guy)
- Alexander (the Great, Graham Bell, Hamilton…plenty of good namesakes)
- Aiden / Aidan (this one may have peaked in the early aughts thanks to Sex and the City, but it’s still going)
- Anthony (from a Roman clan name, meaning “highly praiseworthy”)
- Aaron (another Biblical classic, meaning “lofty”)
- Andrew (patron saint of Scotland and Russia, meaning “manly, brave”)
- Abraham (the Bible or Lincoln — take your inspo pick)
- Arthur (he pulled a sword from a stone, c’mon. Badass)
- Antonio (a variant of “Anthony” — or a fan of Banderas)
- Allen (Celtic name meaning “harmony”)
Trendy ‘A’ names for boys
- Aslan (a pretty perfect name for a little Leo)
- Archer (got a Sagittarius on your hands?)
- Archie (you know he’ll be in good royal company)
- Alfie (English, meaning “sage” or “wise”)
- Austin (SXSW might be canceled, but this name sure isn’t)
- Axel (Danish, meaning “father of peace”)
- Ayden / Aydian (a snazzier version of plain-old Aidan)
- Ashton (one of our favorite celeb dads these days)
- Abram (Hebrew for “exalted father”)
- Ace (meaning “unity,” also just seems like a winning kid in general)
- Amir (Arabic for “prince”)
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