Five Letter Girl Names

Streamlined spelling of Sophie popular in several European nations.

Zayah is more famous in the US in its Zaya spelling, thanks to the elder daughter of basketball great Dwyane Wade. Either way you spell it, Zayah is a name that's both unique and simple, a great combination.

Indian choice meaning fire in step with American styles.

Calah, also called Nimrud, is one of four ancient cities of Assyria, Noah's great-grandson. This unusual name suggests a woman open to opportunity.

One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.

Hanya, made famous by American novelist Hanya Yanagihara and German dancer and choreographer Hanya Holm, is a simple straightforward name rare in the US, where only a handful of baby girls are named Hanya each year. But it makes a distinctive short form for the overused Hannah or an update for the old world Johanna, so deserves more attention.

This perky Irish nickname originated as a short form of Fintan, an ancient saint's name. The most notable bearer today is actress Finty Williams (born Tara Cressida Frances), daughter of Dame Judi Dench. According to Dench's biography, she and her husband initially believed they were expecting a boy and had selected the name Finn. However, upon discovering they had a daughter, they quickly embraced the name Finty.

Popular in Wales, but likely to be mispronounced as Ryan here.

This sweet nickname style name combines contemporary Indy with vintage Minnie. Popular in the 80s, it fell out of style by the mid-90s, but, with the likes of Annie, Edie, Ellie, Bonnie and Heidi getting more attention, could Mindy make a comeback?

Old-fashioned nickname for a sister, almost never heard today.

Avita sounds like a drug name. In fact, it is! (It's an acne medication.) While that may not be enough to stop you, you might want to consider Aviva, Vita, or Evita (which has issues of its own) instead.

This sunny new word name is gender neutral, used for 13 baby girls and 12 boys in 2021. Along with other celestial and weather choices, we can see Solar getting hotter.

Sasha in all its forms -- which include Sacha and Sascha -- is rising in popularity for both boys and girls, especially with the Sasha spelling attached to one of the First Daughters.

Once the teenaged babysitter, now more likely to be the mom who hires her. The names many variations include Nickee, Nickie, Nickey, Nicky, Niki, Nikkee, Nikkey, Nikki, Nikkie, Nikky, and Niky.

Tulia, rhyming with Julia, is one of several offshoots of the noble Roman family name Tullius, best known as the middle name of the philospher Cicero. Another option is Tullia with a short u. This whole clan of names is relatively unknown but may be rediscovered thanks to the fashion for ancient Roman names.

Terry hit the Top 30 in the fifties when it was seeen as a cool, sleek gender neutral name, but it's long since lost that edge. Today's Terry would probably be Tess or Tessa.

Bird name possibility, rarer than Lark and Wren but with the same short, punchy feel.

Deriving from an old English surname or from the alder tree, whose wood is used to make electric guitars, Alder can mean "old" if considered a variation on the Germanic alter or "red, brown" when you follow the root of the tree name.

Maeby sprang into the modern consciousness via the cult TV favorite Arrested Development, in which the appealing teen character Maeby's name is a nickname for Mae. It's also a homonym for Maybe, which undercuts its inherent cuteness. Is Maeby prime for a real life baby name? Sorry, but we can't resist: Maybe.

Aniya is a a cross-cultural choice with a bright, fresh sound. While alternative spelling Aniyah is in the US and UK Top 1000, Aniya dropped out of the charts in 2021, and is now given to around 250 girls each year.