Five Letter Boy Names

A bouncy midcentury TV nickname name.

This name of a saint from Galway whose monastery became a center of learning, is an undiscovered Gaelic gem.

A traditional Russian diminutive of Vasiliy, never given as a full name there but occasionally found as such outside of Russia. The name Vasily/Vaska has also been popular in the country of Georgia.

Pavlo has more energy than the Russian Pavel, perhaps because it sounds like the Spanish Pablo.

While Rowan is more popular for boys, Rowyn currently only ranks for girls. Either spelling of this name is a lovely gender-neutral choice with a sweet nature connection.

In Hungarian mythology, brothers Hunor and Magor were the ancestors of the Hun and the Magyar ethnic groups. The name Hun is of uncertain etymology, although it is most likely Turkic in origin.

If you want a nature name with surname style that speaks to your love of basketball, we suggest Laker.

Once a fallen angel, Zepar is thought to now be one of the great dukes of hell. He is depicted as a soldier with red armor.

Despite its ancient sound and meaning, this is a relatively modern coinage from two ancient Norse elements. A strong and striking choice.

Heinz has become a cartoonish German name, prone to ketchup teasing.

Arnie is a nerdy-tipping-into-cute nickname that may rise again, if not for this generation of babies then for their babies. Look for it in the nurseries of 2050.

A fiery-sounding Breton name with a fierce animal meaning. Bleiz has also been used in honor of the Catholic Saint Blaise, due to its similar sound.

Ellar Coltrane, the star of Richard Linklater's acclaimed 2014 movie "Boyhood," is an outlier, namewise. Most others with his first name are girls, and there aren't even many of them -- the last time the Social Security Administration registered the name at all was in 1956, when six girls were named Ellar. Still, with Gaelic names being trendy, and the "El-" sound on the rise, it has some potential.

In the Old Testament, Ishvi is the name of one of Asher's sons.

The Dutch spelling of Emil, a European classic that awaits resurrection in the US. Emiel is a Top 100 name in Belgium.