Five Letter Girl Names

This Cornish variant of Isolde is rare even in the UK - but that's part of its charm. Like Isolde, Eseld is generally thought to mean "ice battle", a meaning sure to be pleasing to a little girl in this age of all things "Frozen".

Cute tomboyish diminutive that's popular in Germany but has not spread far. An interesting choice for the parent who wants an elaborate feminine proper name with a modern short form.

Nuray is one of the most popular girls' names in the Middle East though it's largely unknown and unused in the Western World. The meaning, related to the more familiar Noor, adds appeal.

A fast rising city name and on trend for boys, Kairo has unisex potential too. Similar in sound to Kaia, Kyra, Skyla and Kai, Kairo was chosen by DJ Zinhle and later rapper, AKA, for their daughter, Kairo Forbes. Given to nearly 50 baby girls in recent years, it may well catch on in the future.

Unusual Samantha alternative with little aural appeal.

Traditional Choctaw name, but close to the word "silly." The similar name Sillin sidesteps this.

A Gaelic form of Jane which shares its simple, sleek look – but is much rarer. The Anglicized form Sheena peaked at #80 in the US in 1984, inspired by singer Sheena Easton.

There is a Hindi name for boys Aroon, for the mythic charioteer of the dawn, but for girls the name Aroon relates to the Irish word for darling. Aroon is the name of the heroine of Molly Keane's classic novel of the Anglo-Irish gentry, Good Behaviour.

Axton has been climbing the charts for boys, hot on the heels of Braxton and Maxton. It is very occasionally used for girls too.

Derived from a Hebrew phrase: ode "I will thank, praise" combined with yah "Yahweh". A famous bearer is Israeli-American actress Odeya Rush.

Barra is a Gaelic-speaking island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, that’s been inhabited since the Neolithic era. A male nickname for Finbarr in Ireland, as well as a stand-alone name, Barra was used by George R.R. Martin as a girl’s name. It means ‘fair-haired’.