Five Letter Girl Names

A medieval and early English variant of the Ismenia, which feels surprisingly on trend today.

The final a adds a lot of style.

Nickname name that retains an Old Country feel.

Kinda is a rare and pretty name with Swahili and Arabic roots. It rhymes with Linda rather than the colloquial combination of the words "kind of" — although many people will mispronounce it as such.

A name made most famous by the operetta The Merry Widow which features "The Vilja's Song". A vila is a woodland spirit or fairy in Slavic mythology. Vilja also means "grain" in Finnish and "will, intent" in Swedish, and is very popular as a girls' name in Scandinavia, ranking in the Top 100 in both Finland and Norway.

A unisex Japanese name, with a variety of meanings depending on which kanji combinations are used. It is often said to mean "aster", giving it a botanical tie, and a link to remembrance based on the symbolism of the aster flower.

Names that have not historically been names are not intrinsically gendered, so though we originally pinned Arrow as a boys' name, both starbaby Arrows that have been born recently have been girls. And with Arrow given to 60 girls in the US in 2015 and 94 boys, we call that a pretty decidedly gender neutral name. With its forward-moving, true-landing imagery, Arrow is one of the new inspirational names.

Well used in northern Europe, almost unknown here.

Highly unusual name of a small, tranquil island in the Caribbean; chosen for her daughter by singer Nelly Furtado.

Unless you're making an intentional homage to the Maya civilization, the traditional spelling Maayan will prove less confusing.

A more feminine version of Devin.

The boyish spelling, which is still pronounced with two syllables and a long e at the end, is sometimes used for girls, though the Jessie form -- whether short for Jessica or standing on its own -- is usually considered the feminine one.

This name looks like a sister to the names Elsa and the Czech name for girls Eliška, a popular diminutive of Elizabeth — and sometimes it is (in German, for example). But it is also a word in Old Norse and some modern Nordic languages, meaning "love" or "to love".

Traditionally a West African boys' name, Khari is used quite often for girls in the U.S. as well, thanks to its similarity to the more familiar Carrie. Khari is one of the African names that easily bridges cultures.

Hebrew form of Tobiah, also used as a feminine form.

Merel is a soundalike of Meryl and may be thought of as a variation of that name, but it's also the Dutch word for blackbird and so you can make it more stylish as one of the flock of cool new bird names, joining Wren, Lark, and Sparrow.

Girlish for Ethan: attractive and unusual.