Five Letter Girl Names

This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.

Nadya and Nadia are Eastern European short forms -- for the more difficult Nadezhda -- now fully accepted on their own.

Esfir is a warm and traditional Russian name that derives from Esther. It might appeal to parents with Russian ancestry or those looking for a rarer alternative to Esther.

Zayla debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2021. The name might be thought of as the popular Ayla or Layla with the trendy letter Z at the beginning. Variations include Zaylah, Zaylani, and the male Zaylan.

Tetsu is a female name with an unusually strong and powerful meaning. It sounds spunky and cute too.

Nanna is a name from Norse mythology that is among the Top 30 names in contemporary Denmark. Popular in Norway in the 19th century, Nanna may also be considered a short form of a range of names, from Anna to Johanna to Marianne. As widespread as it is in Scandinavia, though, it's hard to imagine Nanna making a mark as a girl's name in modern day America, given its use as a name for grandmothers.

A jaunty offshoot of Sullivan, Sully will be associated by kids with the beloved character in the Pixar animated film Monsters, Inc. Rare for a girl, but with a cool surnamey style and echoes of midcentury favorite Sally.

Aditi is the name of the ancient Hindu mother goddess. Sometimes call the Cosmic Creator, Aditi is the goddess of fertility, the earth, the sky, the past and the future. Along with several other Hindu goddess names, Aditi is on the rise.

Both an independent name and an alternate spelling of Jada.

When pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, Emari is considered a variation of Emery, a stylish unisex name common among baby girls. But in most cases, Emari is used as an alternate spelling of Amari, which emphasizes the second syllable. Both Amari and Emari are pretty evenly matched between the sexes, each with a slight edge for boys.

Unlike many other western city names, Tulsa has not proved attractive to parents. The name derives from Tallasi, meaning "old town" in the Creek language.

As dated as Merry and Gay.

In Choctaw culture, people could have multiple names over a lifetime. New names would be bestowed upon tribe members after major life events.

Chosen by aviators Charles and Anne Lindbergh for their daughter, Reeve is another single-syllable surname waiting to be borrowed by the girls.

Destined to remain a one-person name -- in this country anyway.