Five Letter Boy Names

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday). Kwasi is the name for boys born on a Sunday. (The name for girls born on a Sunday is Akosua).

Soft yet strong.

Many emotional, virtuous word names are coming back into style, but Happy feels unlikely to be revived. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to Joy) and because it's such a familiarly used word in day to day life (unlike Valor).

A popular choice in France, although Noam is more user-friendly for Americans.

A canto is a literary term denoting a long passage in a poem. Dante's Divine Comedy is broken into such cantos. As a name, Canto packs in literary credentials with pithy punch.

Originally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the element gild "sacrifice, value". It is also used as a Dutch short form of William.

A handsome and energetic Sanskrit name, borne by Indian actor and comedian Vivek, and Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi.

There are many more appealing Irish surnames than Foley, and certainly more positive meanings. If Foley is a genuine family name, this would be all right in the middle.

A singular selection, noteworthy for its connection to the great sixteenth-century Italian epic poet, Torquato Tasso.

Gwion is a name from old Welsh literature: according to "The Tale of Taliesin", it was the name of the legendary poet Taliesin before he transformed into a bard. Gwion is used steadily in small numbers in Wales. Elsewhere in the world, it would strike a good balance of uncommonness and simplicity, and be pretty unique.

Rare Scottish variant of John, with multicultural overtones.

Surname of a fifteenth-century saint and a twenty-first-century quarterback, Brett Favre.

To most Australians and New Zealanders, using the name Anzac might feel sacrilegious now, as the ANZAC story has become interwoven with national identity. But Anzac was used as a name for both boys and girls on both sides of the Tasman Sea in the aftermath of the First World War. It was often used in combination with other names associated with battles or military leaders - for example Dardanella Anzac and Verdun Anzac (both girls) and Winston Anzac and Anzac Kitchener (boys).

This name has been off the USA Top 1000 list since before 1900, but it has some great musical credentials: consider American blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander and country music legend Pat Alger.

Short form of the Afrikaans name Lodewikus.