Five Letter Boy Names

This ancient name makes an intriguing alternative to River.

Marin is a lovely county north of San Francisco, pronounced with the accent on the second syllable.

Crash is a particularly calamitous entry in the badass boys' name category, taking Wilder and Maverick one -- or maybe a dozen -- steps further. But we can think of at least a dozen reasons you shouldn't name your baby Crash.

Osian is the easier-to-comprehend version of the ancient Irish Oisin, an important name in mythology. Osian or Oisin was a warrior poet. Osian is popular in modern Wales and England. While Oisin is pronounce oh-SHEEN, Osian is pronounced o-SHAN -- though we bet most Americans would just say ocean, which you may consider a good thing.

An unusual name related to the willow family.

While Woodrow is too forbidding, its nickname Woody is a bit cartoonish, as in Woody Woodpecker and the animated cowboy character in Toy Story. Woody Allen was born Allen.

Since so many of the biblical prophet names -- Daniel, Jonah, Nathan, Samuel -- are overused, you might want to consider this distinctive alternative. Hosea was the author of the book of prophesies bearing his name, whose underlying message was a promise of restoration. The Talmud claims that he was the greatest prophet of his generation.

A gentle Danish name, soft and sensitive, but with more masculine punch than Loren.

Pronounced "crwa", this unusual name was chosen by Cedric the Entertainer for his son.

If you encounter this name in the real world, it may be written using kanji that mean "bright person," "happy person," "blessed person," or other related meanings. However, in the anime series My Hero Academia, character Shoto Todoroki's name is written in kanji that mean "burn" and "freeze," referencing his powers.

If meaning were destiny, this would start a boy off on the right foot.

The name of the son of the legendary Finn McCool is often Anglicized to Ossian, but the original has recently been revived in Ireland and is currently among the most popular boys' names there.

You can think of Inaki as a version of Inigo and a Basque variation of Ignatius. Technically, it takes a tilde -- aka that squiggly line -- over the n, which means the n is pronounced like nyah. Inaki is very popular among the smart set in Argentina.

Also spelled Madog, which was the name of an early Welshman, Madog ap Owain Gwynedd, reputed to have been the first European to discover North America in 1155. Maddox, the name of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's oldest child, is a stronger and more familiar choice.

The ancient name Albus has modern currency as the first name of the headmaster of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, more formally known as Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Can Albus work if you're missing the long white beard and the magic wand? Maybe, though it might be a heavy mantle for a Muggle child to wear.

Inventive name for the child of a writer.

Jayce, which probably started out as an abbreviation of names like Jason, with the 'y' borrowed from Jayden, now has a life of its own, making a strong showing on the popularity lists.

This is an Anglicized form of various names; the Irish Gaelic O Bruic; German, Bruck or Breck, meaning "swamp" or "wood"; Yiddish, Brik, "bridge"; and Slovenian, Bric, "dweller from a hilly place." Gosh, and we thought it was just a macho word name invented by Tennessee Williams for the hero of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

As surname Lane becomes more popular, so too does this variant. Regardless, it does create the possibility for spelling confusion.