Five Letter Boy Names

Clint with a glint; used for flinty characters in old TV westerns and soap operas.

Gauge is the dictionary spelling, but Gage is the far more popular choice, ranking at Number 281 in 2016.

The name of the god of the south wind in Greek mythology.

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad.

Rylen is the more-unusual spelling variation of Rylan and the even more popular Ryland. It also takes a cue from the long-trendy surname-name Riley and adds the newly-trendy n ending.

With the fashions for tree names, place names, and nickname names, Derry is a three-way winner.

Bardo has a poetic beginning and upbeat ending, with roots in several diverse cultures. It may be most familiar today via George Saunders' novel Lincoln in the Bardo, which refers to the Tibetan Buddhist state of suspension between one life and the next, resembling the Christian idea of Limbo. Bardo is also an ancient saint's name: Saint Bardo was the eleventh century bishop of Mainz, in Germany. Actress Sandra Bullock chose Bardo as her son's middle.

Marko is one of the many names derived from Mars, the god of war. Marco is the more usual Spanish form but Marko is a variation used in Spain along with Russia, Ukraine, and several Slavic countries.

Common Arabic version of Elijah. The Ilyes spelling is a Top 100 name in France.

The iconic Gone With the Wind star Clark's surname was brought into the first-name mix when Weeds' Kevin Nealon picked it for his son. Gable makes a strong and unusual possibility, a rhyming cousin to Abel and Mabel.

A relatively common surname, Dixon would be an inventive way to honor an ancestral Richard or Dick, the X form a lot livelier than the Dickson spelling, just as Dix is a more modern short form than Dick; it would be right at home alongside Dax and Jax.

An abbreviated, more modern-sounding version of Shakespearean and Ancient Greek name Laertes. If the "ae" is too confusing for you, Leart is another option.

Former Top 5 choice in Slovenia that now sits below the Top 20.

More unusual than Forest or Forrest, Field is a nature name that is simple, evocative, and fresh--sort of the male equivalent of Meadow.

Field and Fields are both relatively common surnames, noted bearers including department store owner Marshall Field, poet Eugene Field (Wynken, Blynken and Nod) and actress Sally. Those with the plural include W.C. Fields, cookie company founder Debbi, and entertainers Gracie and Kim Fields.

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope.

In the US, Mandy may be a common girls' name, a Bobby Soxerish nickname for Amanda, but in the Latin community, it's a popular nickname for Armando, the Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese form of Herman. Actor Mandy Pantikin was born Mandel, another (though not recommended) possibility.