Five Letter Girl Names

Irish goddess and saint name that's strong, to say the least.

Kaena is a pleasant sounding unisex Hawaiian place name, the westernmost point of the island of Oahu. In the computer-generated fantasy movie Kaena: The Prophecy, the character of Kaena is voiced by Kirsten Dunst.

Reece is a less popular respelling of Reese, made famous by actress Witherspoon. Reese is the most popular spelling for girls and Rhys for boys, with Reece given to about four times as many boys as girls.

If English is your native language, it might be best to go with Fleur.

Striking and glamorous, though perhaps just plain Zara is intriguing enough.

This Danish variation of Celia / Cecilia is quite popular in Denmark in recent years.

Wylie is one Celtic surname with as much appeal for girls as for boys. Wylie is ripe for spelling variations: Wiley is as appropriate as Wylie but when you spell it Wylei, as Corey Parker did for his son, you're getting into yooneek naming territory.

The Old Norse word væla, meaning to wail or lament, is the source of the English word "wail" today. Despite the sorrowful meaning, Vaela has a beautiful sound.

Top 100 choice in Puerto Rico.

French spelling of Celia that is more popular in France today than traditional Célie.

Malea, for familiar to Americans spelled Malia as in Malia Obama, is a Top 100 name in Germany and Switzerland. In the US, only about 40 baby girls were named Malea last year, versus 1100 named Malia.

This spelling variation of the Biblical place-name Sela is found on early American census roles, but Sela is more usual today. Cela is another early variation. Cella may also be a variation of Cilla, short for Priscilla, or Celia.

Evocative of the sand dunes at the beach, Doone is a relatively rare surname found in Scotland, Ireland and England. It was recently used with this spelling by Olympic medalist Amanda Beard; photographer Diane Arbus named her daughter Doon, inspired, yes, by walks along the sand dunes during her pregnancy.

She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic names for Christmas babies.

Nonbiblical Hebrew name used as an affectionate nickname since the Middle Ages.

Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.

Better known than it would otherwise be thanks to Meryl (born Mary Louise) Streep.