Five Letter Boy Names

Strong Japanese name with a hopeful meaning.

Hervé was a legendary French saint, patron of the blind, who performed many miracles -- it's a lot more sophisticated than the English Harvey.

The 6th century Irish saint Mirin emigrated to Scotland and now is the patron saint of both the Glasgow suburb of Paisley and the game of football. Mirren is one modern spelling; the Cornish Merryn, best known as the name of the seacoast town St. Merryn, is also related. The name is usually used for girls.

Shura is a unisex Russian nickname for Aleksandr or Aleksandra, themselves forms of Alexander. Less known in the English=speaking world than Sasha, it's also more assertive -- probably because of that "sure" sound.

A rare way to get to that striking X initial. Xenon is also a chemical element: a colorless, odorless noble gas with atomic number 54.

Slash is here because model Amber Rose and Def Jam Records exec Alexander AE Edwards named their baby boy Slash Electric Alexander. Is it cool? Or is it violent and terrifying? Or is it both? We're going to go with Door Number 2 and place it in the same category as names like Dagger and Pistol, but we are not models or record execs.

Whatever its merits as a name, Haman is a Biblical villain, a member of the Persian king's court who plotted to slaughter the Jews. His plan was foiled by Queen Esther and Haman was hanged. Not a role model you want for your child.

Kadir is derived from Qadir (many Arabic K names are phonetic versions of Q-starting names); a classic Muslim name reflecting one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah.

The Swiss city of Basel was first Basilia, thought to have been dubbed in honor of the Roman castle of the same name. The castle's name would have derived from Basilius, a Roman personal name from which the name Basil also originated.

A name mostly found in Muslim and Hindu families, but a rarity in the US.

Malek may be a variation of the more popular Malik, but it's most familiar via actor Ramy Malek.

Timeo is a Top 100 name in France but is virtually unknown in the English-speaking world. Appearing briefly in the New Testament and related to Timon, a Shakespearean name, Timeo is a valid possibility for parents looking for an unusual name with cross-cultural cred.

Pleasant and accessible and not as widely-used as some other African names.