Five Letter Boy Names

A Quranic name especially popular in South Asia, it is also used across Europe, from Bosnia to France, from Spain to England. It appears in the Quran as the name of Maryam's (the Virgin Mary) father, and as the father of Moses, making it a counterpart to Hebrew Joachim or a variant of Hebrew Amran. The meaning of Imran isn't listed in the Quran, however, from its Hebrew roots, it could mean "exalted nation", or it could come from the Arabic word eimran meaning "prosperity".

This Farsi name, reminiscent of Bodhi, is popular among the North African and Persian diaspora in France, where it ranks in the top 400. The name derives from Mahdi, who in Islam is the prophesied redeemer who will rule before the Day of Judgment and will rid the world of evil.

Dark horse Irish surname.

Intriguing name that's a Top 100 choice in Spain and virtually unknown outside that country. But has definitely possibilities for the adventurous baby namer.

If Braden and Caden, why not Baden?

Marty is one of those Old Man nicknames that's just starting to sound cute again.

If Viola is a credible girl's name, why not the mellow Cello for a boy.

Halen is a cool surname name that will be especially appealing to fans of Van Halen.

Abiel is a biblical name (he was the grandfather of Saul) that was used by Puritans, particularly in Massachusetts, so it has a long pedigree. Parents are increasingly looking for underused traditional names, and this name, with the great nickname option of Abe, is ripe for more use!

Unique option honoring Spanish surrealist painter Joan Miró. Could have some pronunciation problems, but preferable to calling your little boy Joan.

Known as a British royal family line as well as a style of architecture, this name feels both solemn and formidable, but with an intriguing "dark-academia" feel to it too. Currently in the Top 1000 in England and Wales, it is also used in Romania and Moldova.

A shimmering day name, with a bit of hippie residue.

The -ee suffix is decisively feminine, so it's no surprise that male usage of this name lags behind female usage.

Conjures up the rich brown colors of raw and burnt umber, but it may be too close to girls' Amber.

Khaos debuted in 2008, two years after Chaos appeared on the charts. These days, it tends to be more popular than the original.

A new-style name based on Kyle and a cousin of Dylan, in spelling if not sound or image. Currently in the US Top 600, it is given to more than 500 boys each year.

Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the fashionable Audrey or a fresher version of Austin or Auden.

Some other cowboy surnames from the Golden Age of movie and TV westerns: Boone, Boyd, Cody, Corrigan, Gibson, Hart, Holt, Houston, McCoy and Renaldo.

Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.