Top Baby Names Beginning with A for 2024

Looking for a baby name beginning with A for your very own little A-lister? You’re certainly not alone.

In the UK, over the last few decades, A has been the most consistently popular initial for baby boy and baby girl names and this trend shows no sign of fading, with A names for boys and girls continuing to be in fashion right now. However, there are other advantages to having an A name, aside from being bang on trend.

Children with A names will be at the top of their class register and possibly get to stand first in line in the school dinner queue. But did you know that ‘A kids’ may also enjoy more academic success than their peers? Surprising research conducted by Yale and University of California revealed that students with initial A names tend to achieve higher exam scores, bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘A-grade students’.

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How we chose the top names beginning with A

When looking for baby names beginning with A, we first checked out the latest baby names lists for 2022. The figures for England and Wales were released in May 2024 by ONS. We used the Central Statistics Office and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for Ireland and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names.

Several A names appear in the current top 100 lists. The most popular baby girl name beginning with A on the ONS lists are Amelia (at number 2 for girls) and the most popular baby boy name beginning with A was Arthur (at number 6 for boys). Other initial A names in the ONS list include: Amber, Amélie, Anna, Aria, Aurora, Ava, Ada and Alice (for girls) and Adam, Albert, Albie, Alexander, Alfie, Archie, Arlo and new entry Axel (for boys).

When conducting our research and looking for popular names beginning with A, we also checked our own baby names articles for reference, such as most popular baby names, top baby boy names and top baby girl names.

And, of course, we also scoured the Mumsnet Baby Names forum, to see which names starting with the letter A were deemed A-okay by Mumsnet users.

Without further ado, here are the top 115 names beginning with A.

Popular girl names beginning with A

1. Aaliyah

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Heavens, exalted

2. Abigail (Abbie or Abi for short)

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: My father is joy

3. Ada

Origin: German
Meaning: Noble

4. Addison

Origin: English
Meaning: Son of Adam or Adam's child

5. Adele (or Adèle)

Origin: French, German
Meaning: Noble or nobility

6. Adelaide

Origin: German
Meaning: Noble kind

7. Adeline

Origin: French (derived from Adele)
Meaning: Noble, nobility

8. Aderyn

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Bird

9. Aine

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Radiance

10. Ailsa

Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Rock

11. Aislinn (or Aislin/Aisling)

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Dream or vision

12. Alana

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Beautiful or harmony

13. Alba

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Sunrise or white

14. Alessia

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Defender of mankind

15. Alexa

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defender of mankind

16. Alice

Origin: German
Meaning: Noble

17. Alicia

Origin: Spanish, Old French
Meaning: Noble

18. Alisha

Origin: Spanish, Sanskrit
Meaning: Protected by God

19. Allegra

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Joyful

20. Alma

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Nourishing, kind

21. Alyssa (or Alissa)

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Noble

22. Amber

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Jewel

23. Amelia

Origin: Latin/German
Meaning: Hard-working

24. Amélie

Origin: French
Meaning: Hard-working

25. Amy

Origin: English
Meaning: Beloved

26. Amara (or Amarah)

Origin: Igbo (Nigerian)
Meaning: Grace or mercy

27. Amira

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Princess

28. Amisha

Origin: Sanskrit
Truthful or honesty

29. Anais

Origin: French
Meaning: Grace

30. Anastacia (or Anastasia)

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Resurrection

31. Aneira

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Golden

32. Angel

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Messenger or a celestial being

33. Angelina

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Messenger of God or angel

34. Anna

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Grace, favour

35. Annabel (or Annabelle)

Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Loving

36. Annabella

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Loving

37. Annie

Origin: English
Meaning: Grace or favour

38. Anisha

Origin: Greek, Sanskrit
Meaning: Satisfaction or supreme

39. Anouk

Origin: Dutch, French
Meaning: Grace

40. Anoushka (Anushka)

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Grace

41. Anwen

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Blessed

42. Anya

Origin: Russian
Meaning: Grace

43. Aoife

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Beauty

44. April

Origin: Latin
Meaning: To blossom

45. Arabella

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Yielding to prayer

46. Aria (or Arya)

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Air/melody

47. Astrid

Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: Divinely beautiful

48. Aubrey

Origin: German
Meaning: Elf ruler

49. Audrey (or Audry)

Origin: English
Meaning: Noble, strength

50. Aurelia

Origin: Latin
Meaning: The golden one

51. Aurora

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Dawn

52. Autumn

Origin: English
Meaning: Referring to the season Autumn

53. Ava

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bird

54. Aveline

Origin: French
Meaning: Hazel

55. Avril

Origin: French
Meaning: April

56. Ayda

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Returning visitor, moon

57. Ayla

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Oak tree

What Mumsnetters say about popular A names for girls

“I love A names for girls! And I love Audrey, Aurelia, Amber, Autumn.” - Mumsnet user, barnyb

“I really like Amber! I think it’s a gorgeous name that’s stood the test of time - it’s never been top 20 so it’s not as dated to a particular era as some names, and I think it will continue to hover around the lower end of the top 100 names for a while yet.” - Mumsnet user, Moreteaandchocolate

Popular boy names beginning with A

58. Aaron

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Exalted or strong

59. Abdul

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Servant of God

60. Abel

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Breath

61. Abraham

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Father of a multitude; exalted fath

62. Ace

Origin: English
Meaning: One who excels, number one

63. Adam

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Man

64. Adi

Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: First or beginning

65. Adrian

Origin: Latin, Greek
Meaning: Dark one, rich or Son of Adria

66. Aidan (or Aiden)

Origin: Irish
Meaning: Little fire

67. Ajay

Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Unconquered, invincible

68. Alasdair (or Alistair/Alastair)

Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Defender of the people

69. Albert

Origin: German
Meaning: Noble

70. Albie

Origin: English
Meaning: Noble

71. Alec

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defending men

72. Aled

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Offspring

73. Alessandro

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defender of the people

74. Alexander (Alex for short)

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defender of the people

75. Alfie

Origin: English (derived from Alfred)
Meaning: Elf counsel

76. Alfred

Origin: English
Meaning: Elf counsel

77. Alvin

Origin: Old English
Meaning: Noble friend

78. Ali

Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Supreme, exalted

79. Amani

Origin: Swahili
Meaning: Peace

80. Ambrose

Origin: English
Meaning: Immortal

81. Amos

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: To carry, borne by God

82. Andreas

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Manly, strong

83. Andrew

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Manly

84. Aneurin

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Noble, honourable

85. Angelo

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Messenger, angel

86. Angus

Origin: English, Irish, Scottish
Meaning: One choice

87. Ansel

Origin: Germanic
Meaning: Divine protection

88. Anthony

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Priceless one

89. Antonio

Origin: Spanish, Italian
Meaning: Priceless one

90. Amir

Origin: Arabic, Persian, Hebrew
Meaning: Prince or chief, immortal or crown

91. Aodhán

Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Little fire

92. Archer

Origin: English
Meaning: Bowman

93. Archie

Origin: Germanic, English (derived from Archibald)
Meaning: Genuine and brave

94. Ari

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Lion or eagle

95. Arjun

Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Bright, shining

96. Arlo

Origin: Old English
Meaning: Fortified hill

97. Armani

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Free man

98. Arran

Origin: English, Scottish
Meaning: Peaked island

99. Artem

Origin: Slavic
Meaning: Safe, butcher

100. Arthur

Origin: Celtic, Welsh
Meaning: Bear-like

101. Artie

Origin: Celtic, Welsh (derived from Arthur)
Meaning: Bear-like

102. Arwyn

Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Very fair

103. Asher

Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Happy

104. Ashton

Origin: English
Meaning: Ash tree town

105. Aston

Origin: English
Meaning: Eastern settlement

106. Atticus

Origin: Greek, Latin
Meaning: Man of Attica

107. August

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Majestic

108. Austin

Origin: English
Meaning: Great

109. Axel

Origin: German
Meaning: Father of peace

What Mumsnetters say about A names for boys

“Arlo? I know everyone says it is everywhere, but I only know one. He is eight years old and I think they named him after Arlo Guthrie.” - Mumsnet user, MalcolmTuckersDisdainfulSneer

“I love Albert, Albie for short.” - Mumsnet user, Mumofone2024

Gender-neutral names beginning with A

110. Alex

Origin: Greek
Meaning: Defender of the people

111. Alexis

Origin: Latin
Meaning: Helper or defender

112. Ally (or Allie)

Origin: English
Meaning: Noble

113. Ash

Origin: English
Meaning: Ash tree

114. Ashley (or Ashleigh)

Origin: Old English
Meaning: Ash tree meadow

115. Avery

Origin: English
Meaning: Ruler of elves

What Mumsnetters say about gender-neutral A names

“Alexis? Absolutely beautiful name. I'd normally associate with girls and shorten to Lexi but if it was a boy I'd shorten to Lex.” - Mumsnet user, PTSDBarbiegirl

“My friend has an Avery. He's a cool kid and really suits his name. If you like it, go for it.” - Mumsnet user, theseriousmoonlight

How to choose a baby name beginning with A

If you’re happy following baby naming trends and want to choose a popular name, look for inspo on the lists of the 100 top baby names for boys and girls. The latest lists for England and Wales were released in May 2024 by ONS. You could also take a look at the Central Statistics Office and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for Ireland and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names. All these lists contain the most popular names, including the most chosen names with the initial A.
If you want to go more unusual, it’s still a good idea to look at the top 100 lists so that you can choose a name further down the lists or one which doesn’t appear.
Check out Mumsnet’s baby names content for reference, such as most popular baby names, top baby boy names and top baby girl names.
You could also look at A names popular elsewhere in the world, such as the top French baby names.
Take a look at the Mumsnet Baby Names forum to find out which A names are beloved by parents. You could even start your own thread to ask for suggestions.
Combine two naming trends in one. Initial A names are cool right now and so are shorter names. Sometimes these two trends collide. Hello there, Ava, Ada, Anna, Arlo, Albie and Alfie.
Think about initial A names which also end in A, such as Ava, Ada and Anna, which all sound lovely and melodic when spoken aloud.
Check that your preferred first name works well with the middle name you like, and of course with your surname - and make sure the initials don’t spell anything unfortunate.

What is a unique name that starts with an A?

There are lots of popular, well-used names beginning with A but if you’re looking for something less frequently used, it’s best to look for names outside the top 100 baby name lists.

For girls, how about Anya? It’s safely outside the top 100, while still riding the cool, shorter names trend. One Mumsnetter highly recommends the name Anya, saying: “That's my daughter's name. Not too common, and not too out there/ pretentious, and pretty universal if she goes abroad. It suits her, she's a sassy, funny, sporty nine-year-old.”

For boys, we think Angelo is nicely unusual (well outside the ONS top 100) without being difficult to pronounce. “I think Angelo is fabulous. I find it gives really manly vibes and I imagine a dark haired little boy suiting the name,” says Mumsnetter RunningGearOn. Also - if this sort of thing matters to you - Angelo has the celebrity seal of approval, having been chosen by superstar songstress Adele (who also has a gorgeous A name!) for her son, born in 2012.

About the author

Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.

Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.

Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.

For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby. By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.