Five Letter Boy Names

If you use this for a boy, it had better be a family name, hidden away in the middle.

A psychic mystique clings to this name of cards used in fortune-telling.

This Georgian name is of unclear meaning, but it may derive from Persian zar "gold".

Though this name is used for both boys and girls in Israel, in the U.S. it sounds decidedly masculine, with Zohara the feminine form. Has a futuristic macho feel.

Kross is one of the new generation of Christian word names with a twist, and joins the ranks of Chozen, Kruz, Zyon, Kannon, and Tru as options for boys. Given to around 20 babies in 2018, by 2019, it was received by more than 100. Now, it is given to nearly 200 babies each year and is more popular than the traditional Cross spelling.

Two z's equal double pizzazz.

We like Matti in theory, but in practice it’s likely to get confused for the girlish Maddie.

Taffy, in addition to being a diminutive of Dafydd, is a slang term for Welsh people in general – probably from the River Taff. Too candy-like to be used in the US.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

Rugged and straightforward brand-new name, though you might not like the idea of branding your son.

The name of Armenia's largest lake is popular for boys in France -- Sevan is in the boys' Top 500 -- but can also be used for girls.

Miraç is currently one of the most popular boy names in Turkey. It's a variation of the Arabic name Miraj, which refers to the ascension into Heaven. Both names are predominantly used by Muslim families.

Sounds a bit like a nickname in a Dickens novel, but this short form was used in New England a few centuries ago, back when names like Micajah were popular. Both short and long forms are now ripe for revival.

Attractive, approachable, and more striking Nick alternative.

Rarely heard, and all too likely to be confused with Kevin.

Despite being one of the rare boy names that mean life, Chaim barely survived early Jewish immigration, being watered down to Hyman and Hymie. Today, the original seems like the most promising form of the name, familiar thanks to bestselling author Chaim Potok.

Kirin is a mythical Chinese figure that is a flying horse with elements of a dragon. The creature combines elements of the male -- Ki -- and the female -- Rin -- to make a gender neutral name that would work well in the Western World.