Willa

Willa is the feminine of William, carrying the same Germanic sense of resolute protector but trimmed to something light and literary. It belongs, first and unmistakably, to Willa Cather, whose prairie novels gave the name a plainspoken American dignity. For decades Willa slept in the background of family trees; in the last fifteen years it has quietly returned and now sits near 423. Two syllables, both soft, ending on that open a. It suits a child with opinions and a habit of asking hard questions. Willa feels confident and unshowy, the kind of name that ages beautifully into adulthood.