Five Letter Girl Names

Mythological princess who killed her kids. Eternal no-no.

This pretty palindrome name is rarely heard in the US, but could make an interesting namesake for an aunt or grandma Ann. It's also a German diminutive form of Anna.

This much less popular variation draws more from Karin.

Adds a soupcon of French flair to some old classics with the currently trendy ae ending.

Karin was a fairly popular spelling variation of Karen in the US but fell off the Top 1000 in the late 80s, as Karen's popularity wained. Today, the Karen meme interferes with the otherwise appealing sound of this name.

The male name Elwyn is used regularly in Wales, but its feminine form Elwen (also spelled Aelwen) slightly less so. Elsewhere, this name is little-known but very appealing, with straightforward spelling and a fantasy-like sound. A male Cornish and Breton saint also bears the name.

This striking Nordic variant of Biblical Naomi is famously borne by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, best known for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy.

Arlen might be thought of as an update on the midcentury Arlene or as a unisex surname-name. Arlen was given to 22 girls in the US last year vs 57 boys and those numbers may grow with the fashion for n-ending two-syllable surname-names. Another similar possibility for girls: Arden.

Has the energetic-Irish-slightly-boyish image that many modern parents love.

Depending on the kanji characters used, this attractive and energetic Japanese name can have a variety of meanings relating to nature.

Queen has seen a revival in recent times, reaching its record high in 2018 with 280 births — it has remained steady since then. Previously, Queen saw a peak in the 1920s, but its origins go back even further than that. Queen was a noted name among enslaved people in America, along with other royal choices such as Duke, Squire, and Prince.

Signy — also spelled Signe — would make another distinctively offbeat alternative to Sydney. Signy appears in Norse mythology as the twin sister of Sigmund.

This jazzy French diminutive of Isabelle was first made famous by the title character of Raymond Queneau’s novel Zazie dans le métro, which was adapted into a film in 1960. It could also work as a nickname for Elizabeth or Susannah.

An international take on Dara.

A common Vietnamese name heard for both boys and girls in the U.S.

In Celtic mythology (later borrowed into the Roman empire), Epona is the goddess of horses and fertility. Link's horse in The Legend of Zelda is fittingly named Epona.

More streamlined – and more authentic – than Shawna.