Willa

• Strong, no frills, but clearly feminine. Flowing, almost dreamy, without being cutesey, doll-ish or overly romantic. I came across it looking for a variation of Willeke, the name of a Dutch friend of mine.
• Willa Julianne
  I heard this name first when I read one of Willa Cather's books over the summer of 1997 for a school assignment. I only though of an old woman, until Willa Ford came out, and I realized it could be youthful too. It's very simple, easy to spell and pronounce, and it's not overly popular, either. Julianne is a variation on Julie, another of my aunts I intend to honor. Plus, Julianne Moore. Another strong female. (And I know, her birthname is Julie :-) I prefer Julianne )

Willa, most popularly associated with the American author Willa Cather, is a fairly modern feminine form of William (see also). Incidentally, Willa Cather's given name at birth was Wilella.
See Also: William

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