New girls' names are often formed by adding a common suffix to an existing name or name element.
| Suffix | Variants | Origin |
| -a | Latin feminine ending | |
| -anna | -ana, -enna, -onna | Biblical name often used in blended, invented and extended names |
| -andra | -awndra, -ondra | Used to create feminine forms of Greek names Alexander/Alexandra, Cassander/Cassandra (original masculine forms Alexandros, Cassandros) |
| -e | French feminine ending. The Louis/Louise, Simon/Simone pattern is used to create feminine forms of other male names. | |
| -een | -in, -Í n | Irish diminutive ending (Doreen, Noreen, Kathleen) and Arabic names such as Yasmeen provided a model for imitations |
| -elle, -ella | -ela, -el, -ell | The suffix '-elle' occurs in English but not French, where it is found only in feminine forms of names already ending in '-el', such as Danielle/Daniel or Noelle/Noel. |
| -essa | Jonathan Swift's adaption of the name Esther Vanholmrigh to make 'Vanessa' may have been influenced by the '-issa' suffix. | |
| -ette | -etta | French feminine diminutive ('Annette', 'Georgette' and 'Jeanette') |
| -ice | -ease, -eese, -ese, -ise, -iece, -isse | This occurs in French names such as Clarice. It is particularly popular with African Americans. |
| -ina | -ena | Latin form of -ine |
| -ine | -ene | Greek suffix used to create feminine forms of male names |
| -issa | -ecia, -esha, -icia, -iesa, iesha, issia, isha, ysha, -yssa | The Latin form of -ice produced names such as Clarissa and many variants which are influenced by 'Lisa' as regards pronunciation. |
| -ita | -eta, -eeta | Spanish diminutive ending, popularised in America. |
| -ique | -ika, eka, -eca, ica | Borrowed from the French names Monique and Dominique and the word name 'Unique'. |
| -lee | -lea, -leah, -leigh, -ley | More commonly a boys' name until recently, this surname adaptation is now becoming common as a addition to girls' names. |
| -linda, -inda | -lynda, -ynda | Spanish word for 'pretty', but name suffix developed as a phonetic version of the Germanic -linde, possibly a derivation of lind, 'a serpent' or an earlier meaning of the English word 'lithe', gentle/agreeable/pleasant. Linda has been popular as an independent name since the 1950s, and revived older names like Rosalinda and Belinda. |
| -lyn | -lin, -line, -linn, -lynn, lynne, lyne | 'Lin' is a Welsh male name but this pet form of Linda and Lynette has now become well-established as an independent girls' name. As a suffix, it changes more traditional spellings and produces new names. |
This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.
Copies may be made for personal use only.