Five Letter Boy Names

Boden is most often inspired by the clothing catalog of the same name, and it feels like an appropriate first name for boys because of its stylish two-syllable -n ending rhythm, a la Logan, Mason, Owen, and other trendy choices. While Boden or Bowden is a fairly common English surname, in German it is the everyday name for "floor". Boden entered the US Top 1000 in 2014. You might also consider Bowen, Bode, Bodhi, and Bowie.

Once a powerful Roman clan name, Cecil has lost much of its potency over the years, though it retains a strong presence in the sports and jazz worlds. Past bearers include film giant Cecil B. DeMille, poet Cecil Day Lewis, father of Daniel, and photographer Cecil Beaton. Fictional Cecils appear in Oscar Wilde's play, Lady Windemere's Fan, E. M. Foster's A Room With a View and the film Lee Daniel's The Butler.

The cool form of James in the 1970s and '80s for both sexes. Still a more stylish short form than Jimmy, though many parents will want to call James by his entire, not-very-long name.

Brock is a rock solid name, with a touch of preppy sophistication. It ranked solidly in the 200s-300s from 1975 until 2014, but has since tumbled a bit.

Although almost always feminine in the first name spot, Marie (and its pan-European cognate Maria) are regularly used in the middle or in compound first names in Catholic cultures. Famous examples include French writers François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) and Victor Marie Hugo, and Front National politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister Tony Blair, who was leader at the time of the Iraq War.

Though the fuller Lancelot has for the most part been shunned as a 'too-much-name' name, the short form Lance has been consistently in or around the Top 500 since 1938, climbing as high as Number 76 in 1970. It was used as a character name by Walter Scott as far back as 1823. Lance is also the name of a medieval weapon, making this name all boy.

Less popular than Emery, this name also attributes to Emory University. Both spellings of the name lean more heavily to the girls' side, but this one is not quite as unbalanced.

It wasn't so long ago that Romeo was considered as outre for an American baby as Casanova or Cupid. But that really changed when David and Victoria Beckham chose it for their second son in 2002, a path followed by Jon Bon Jovi.

Nice baby name with a devilish meaning.

In the USA, both spellings of this old Celtic name have risen significantly in recent years, however, Ronan outpaced this version in the lasts, and we, too, prefer the slightly more rounded and gentle look of the original. History and movie buffs may appreciate this version though, due to its association with renegade samurai in Feudal Japan - and provides it with a second possible meaning: "drifter, wanderer, and masterless samurai". Ronin is also used within the Marvel Universe.

When Marion Michael Morrison became John Wayne around 1930, his last name took on an air of cowboy cool that lasted about thirty years, but by now it's strictly a dad or granddad name.

A name with many spelling variations, including Malek, Melik, and Maliq, Malik is a popular name of Arabic and Semetic origin that is used internationally as both a given name and a surname. In terms of meaning, it can be considered a royal name meaning "king", though other sources suggest it is an alternative transcription of Maalik, making "owner, possessor" a more accurate meaning.

An alternate spelling of Brian, Bryan's one of the most enduring of Irish imports. Bryan is now slightly more popular than the original, with associations to Bryan Cranston, Bryan Ferry and Bryan Brown.

Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool.

For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.

The name of the protagonist of Disney’s Brother Bear also has a geographical connection: the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.

This is the second most common boys' version of this attractive name, after the Welsh original Rhys. Reese takes the lead on the girls' side. thanks to the famous Ms. Witherspoon.

It feels like Finch should be a modern bird name that's as popular as Wren or Lark, but that's not the case - so it's one to consider if you're looking for a nature name that's familiar but rare.

Could Lowen be the next Owen? This Cornish name certainly has the right sounds to be an American hit, and is rising dramatically for both boys and girls.