Five Letter Boy Names

Particularly popular in Turkey towards the end of the 20th century, this was the name of a 14th-century sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The name Orhan jumped in use in 2022, given to 81 babies in the US, while in the UK, it was one of the fastest rising boys names, jumping an impressive 470 places up the charts.

More appealing than the English version, Aubin might be seen as a fresher and more decidedly masculine twist on Aubrey. This handsome discovery is now ranked at Number 311 in its native France.

Two drawbacks: some unpleasant World War II associations, and the Santa clause.

One of the new crop of boys' names that manage to be unconventional and macho at the same time — though Blade verges on the threatening.

Sounds like Horace, looks like the head of a hawk on the body of a human.

Jerry is one of those short forms that, like Mike and Debbie, rose to popularity on the coattails of their formal versions. The equivalents today are nickname names like Ellie and Theo.

About 100 baby boys were named Lucio in the US last year, a number we expect to increase with the growing popularity of all names in the Lu family. It's a family united by sound, with three main branches.

Undoubtedly inspired by country singer Trace Adkins, Trace is part update on 20th century fave Tracy, and part modern word name. Derived from Tracy, it originated as a Roman name meaning "of Thracia" or as a short form of Teresa; as a word name, it's got something slightly arty about it, but outdoorsy too, along the lines of Hunter, Chase, and Wilder.

A scientific word name that would work wonderfully as a given name, given its similarity to Felix.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian added this new word name to the lexicon when they chose it for their second son and fourth child in 2019. It is now 7 times more popular than it was then, given to 120 boys and 40 girls in a recent year.

Not a biblical name, but one with authentic Hebrew roots that's used in Israel; would fit in with the current trend for two-syllable J names. Jaaron, Jairon, Jaran, Jaren, Jarin, Jarone, Jarran, Jarren, Jarrin, Jarron, Jaryn, Jayron, Jayronn, Je Ronn, J'ron.

In English, a maven can be defined as an expert or connoisseur. Maven feels more nameworthy than some other word choices given its similarity to names like Raven and Haven.

Fiery sound and uplifting meaning, but it's also among the Top 100 dog names. Spelled Fiyero, it's the hero of the book and musical "Wicked."

Strong and unusual Scandinavian name, but with two possible pitfalls: people might mis-hear it as Aspen, or associate it with sports network ESPN. Variants include Esper and Esben.

Lively nickname, but we'd prefer the more substantial Orlando.

The Biblical Zerah is etymologically related to such names as Zora, which also means dawn. While the vowel sound at the end of the name does not sound as feminine to our modern ear as it once did, thanks to such popular choices as Noah and Joshua, but the downside of Zerah is that it is quite similar to such girls' names as Zara and Sarah.

This distinguished surname belonged to one of Ireland's great princely families. Its many variations include Rourke (as in actor Mickey), and O'Rourke. The family surname is thought to be one of the oldest in the world, originating in the tenth century, following the death of a young prince named Ruarc. It has literary cred via Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

The meaning of this ancient Roman god's name relates to transitions, hence its connection to the name of the first month of the new year, a time of fresh beginnings. Janus is usually depicted as a two-faced god facing in opposite directions, since he looks both to the future and the past. It's no surprise then, that Janus is one of the premiere January baby names. The Slavic form Janusz is more commonly used than the English, represented by the Polish cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who has shot all of Steven Spielberg's films from Schindler's List to Lincoln.

Azure is a colorful choice for a blue-eyed child, recently chosen by Elon Musk for his daughter. Currently, Azure is used for American baby girls and boys in equal numbers. Among other blue-toned color name possibilities: Indigo, Cerulean, and Blue itself.