Five Letter Boy Names

Benji is undeniably cute, much in the way of a — yes, an adorable movie mutt. Ben is the handsome traditional short form of Benjamin, but Benji makes a more unexpected nickname

The cool form of James in the 1970s and '80s for both sexes. Still a more stylish short form than Jimmy, though many parents will want to call James by his entire, not-very-long name.

Once a powerful Roman clan name, Cecil has lost much of its potency over the years, though it retains a strong presence in the sports and jazz worlds. Past bearers include film giant Cecil B. DeMille, poet Cecil Day Lewis, father of Daniel, and photographer Cecil Beaton. Fictional Cecils appear in Oscar Wilde's play, Lady Windemere's Fan, E. M. Foster's A Room With a View and the film Lee Daniel's The Butler.

Brock is a rock solid name, with a touch of preppy sophistication. It ranked solidly in the 200s-300s from 1975 until 2014, but has since tumbled a bit.

Less popular than Emery, this name also attributes to Emory University. Both spellings of the name lean more heavily to the girls' side, but this one is not quite as unbalanced.

Though the fuller Lancelot has for the most part been shunned as a 'too-much-name' name, the short form Lance has been consistently in or around the Top 500 since 1938, climbing as high as Number 76 in 1970. It was used as a character name by Walter Scott as far back as 1823. Lance is also the name of a medieval weapon, making this name all boy.

It wasn't so long ago that Romeo was considered as outre for an American baby as Casanova or Cupid. But that really changed when David and Victoria Beckham chose it for their second son in 2002, a path followed by Jon Bon Jovi.

One of the first generation of cool surname names, now largely used for girls in the US, but still popular for boys in its native Scotland. A prominent association for Brits is former prime minister Tony Blair, who was leader at the time of the Iraq War.

Nice baby name with a devilish meaning.

In the USA, both spellings of this old Celtic name have risen significantly in recent years, however, Ronan outpaced this version in the lasts, and we, too, prefer the slightly more rounded and gentle look of the original. History and movie buffs may appreciate this version though, due to its association with renegade samurai in Feudal Japan - and provides it with a second possible meaning: "drifter, wanderer, and masterless samurai". Ronin is also used within the Marvel Universe.

Although almost always feminine in the first name spot, Marie (and its pan-European cognate Maria) are regularly used in the middle or in compound first names in Catholic cultures. Famous examples include French writers François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) and Victor Marie Hugo, and Front National politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

A name with many spelling variations, including Malek and Maliq. With Muslim roots, Malik ranks in the US Top 500 and is also popular in several European and Arabic countries. Malik can also be thought of as a nature name, via its Greenlandic meaning of wave.

When Marion Michael Morrison became John Wayne around 1930, his last name took on an air of cowboy cool that lasted about thirty years, but by now it's strictly a dad or granddad name.

An alternate spelling of Brian, Bryan's one of the most enduring of Irish imports. Bryan is now slightly more popular than the original, with associations to Bryan Cranston, Bryan Ferry and Bryan Brown.

Niall is pronounced nye-al--something like Neil, but this Irish spelling of the name makes it much more current and cool.

For as long as we all shall live, Harry Potter's sneering nemesis.

This is the second most common boys' version of this attractive name, after the Welsh original Rhys. Reese takes the lead on the girls' side. thanks to the famous Ms. Witherspoon.

The name of the protagonist of Disney’s Brother Bear also has a geographical connection: the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.

It feels like Finch should be a modern bird name that's as popular as Wren or Lark, but that's not the case - so it's one to consider if you're looking for a nature name that's familiar but rare.

Could Lowen be the next Owen? This Cornish name certainly has the right sounds to be an American hit, and is rising dramatically for both boys and girls.