5 Letter Girl Names

Somewhat dated Hebrew name that appears more modern when spelled Liora. 

Leora

Lexi and Lexie, pixie-ish offshoots of the prolific Alex family, have come into their own, remaining in the Top 1000 for more than 20 years now.
 Perhaps the most well-known appearance of this version in pop culture is Lexie Grey, half-sister of the Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy.

Lexie

This elaboration of the popular Ava likely took inspiration from other on-trend choices such as Amaya, Nevaeh, and Alayah. Given to nearly 140 girls each year, alternative spelling Avayah is twice as popular and currently in the US Top 1000.
 
Family YouTubers The Banks used Avayah for their daughter in 2019, and it subsequently became the fastest rising girl name of the following year, bringing Avaya along with it.

Avaya

Sidra is an uncommon name shared by a gulf off the coast of Libya. Popular in the Jewish community of North Africa, its Hebrew meaning refers to a weekly reading portion of the Torah. In Arabic, it's the name of a tree, which is an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven.

Sidra

A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century. 
 Currently among the most popular girl names in Croatia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Petra ranked in the US Top 1000 every year from 1880 to 1951, reaching a high of #493 in 1929.
 There have been Petras in two European film classics: Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. The most prominent Petra in recent years is gorgeous supermodel Petra Nemcova, who is also an international disaster relief activist. Petra is also the name of a famous Christian rock band.

Petra

Emani is more popular than the original Iman, for girls at least. About 200 baby girls were named Emani in the US last year, while 80 girls were named Iman. Iman is quite gender-neutral, with 60 baby boys given the name, while only a handful of baby boys were named Emani.

Emani

Sanai is a name of Arabic origin, most likely a variation of Thana, meaning "praise", though it is sometimes recorded as a variant of both Sana and Sanaa too. 
 
The name briefly featured in the US Top 1000 in the late 2000s, and while it hasn't reappeared on the charts since 2009, it has been fairly consistently used, with around 130 girls receiving the name each year. 
 
The name of a 12th century Sufi poet, a more recent bearer is actress Sanai Victoria, who pronounces her name suh-NIE - perhaps inspired by Hebrew name Sarai.

Sanai

Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of the fastest rising names, more than doubling in use from the previous year.
 
For many of his character names, Tolkien took inspiration for Welsh, and Arwen and its masculine counterpart Arwyn do have some history of use as legitimate Welsh names, possibly influenced by the ancient Welsh Arianwen. In this case, the name would mean "fair, blessed", while in Tolkien's world, it has a more regal air. 
 
Similar in sound to Elowen, Gwen, Aria, and Ariana, Arwen has seen steadily increasing use in the US since the early 2000s. Currently given to around 180 babies each year, actress Caterina Scorsone and musician Rob Giles chose the name for their daughter in 2019. 
 
Like with any pop culture inspired name, you would have to decide if you'd mind people asking or assuming you were big Lord of the Rings fans, but with its grounded and familiar sounds, Arwen may continue to rise in coming years.
 A trivia tidbit to finish: The International Astronomical Union names all colles (small hills) on Saturn's moon Titan after characters in Tolkien's work; in 2012, they named a hilly area "Arwen Colles" after Arwen.

Arwen

Letty is a sweet vintage gem, playful and cosy and more unexpected than Lottie, the popular pet form of popular Charlotte. Originally used as a nickname for Letitia or Lettice, it could also work for Scarlett, Juliet, Violet, Leighton, Arlette, Loretta, Colette, or Liberty. 
 
While Letty has yet to catch up with alternative spelling Lettie, it has been fairly consistently used in the US since 2016. Given to around 130 girls in a recent year, parents may have taken inspiration from the character Letty Ortiz from the Fast and Furious franchise, played by Michelle Rodriguez.
 
As of 2024, neither Lettie nor Letty were in the Top 1000 in the US, however, when you combine them together, the name begins to feel as popular as the similar Lottie and Lacey.

Letty

Calla is a botanical name that is much more distinctive than popular Lily or similar Callie. Rarely heard today, it did appear in the popularity lists in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
 
Ultimately from the Greek kallos meaning "beauty", Calla is the name of two separate but similar plants, notably the white calla lily. Given to 130 girls year, it is currently less popular than similar choices such as Kaia, Clara, Cali, Willa, and Calliope, but wouldn't seem out of place among them. 
 Calla is the eponymous heroine of the Rebecca Wells novel The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder, and there's an English rock band called Her Name is Calla.
 Actress Mare Winningham named her daughter Calla way back in 1987 while sound-alike Cala is an Arabic name meaning fortress.

Calla

The straightforward Erica is a Norse feminization that was long associated with the complex, mega-popular character Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci for decades on the soap opera All My Children. Used in Scandinavia since the early eighteenth century, where it was usually spelled Erika, it was in the Top 50 girls' list in the USA in the 1970s and eighties.
 It is worth noting that Erica is also a flower name, in which sense it is its own name, rather than a feminisation.
 The most prominent bearer of the name in recent times is novelist Erica Jong, author of the influential Fear of Flying.

Erica

Currently gender-neutral in the US, although boys have the edge, as they do with Lane. The Y spelling makes it a bit more feminine.

Layne

Though it sounds like a variation of the Irish Maeve, Maeva actually hails from Tahiti, and is currently enjoying a wave of popularity in France, where it ranks in the Top 100, possibly via popular French folk singer and actress Maeva Meline.

Maeva

Adira is one of those names that feels familiar without being overused. Simple but with subtle flair, Adira crosses different languages easily and could provide an alternative option tor the likes of Ava, Ariana, Adeline, and Anna.
 
A feminine form of the Hebrew name Adir, Adira means "strong" and "mighty" and is used as a name for God. Occasionally, Adira might also be used as a spelling variation of the Sanskrit Adhira, meaning "lightning" or "restless".
 
 Until 2016, the name was given to just a handful of girls each year, however, by 2017, the number of baby Adiras had doubled and while it is in no way a popular name as yet, it has been trending upwards. Currently given to around 165 girls each year, it is used 5 times more often than a decade ago.
 
The sudden surge in Adira's popularity might be explained by the movie Adira which was released in the US in 2016. The spin-off series of Disney's Tangled kept the name in the spotlight, when it featured a mysterious warrior called Adira in its second season. Then, in 2020, Blu del Barrio starred as the first non-binary character in the Star Trek franchise, Adira Tal.
 
In August 2023, Serena Williams named her daughter Adira River, which may help boost Adira further up the charts in coming years.

Adira

Ciara is very popular in Ireland, more familiar here as the Anglicized Kiera or Keira. The uninitiated will tend to pronounce Ciara as the Italian Chiara, a form of Claire—kee-AHR-a or even see-AHR-a, like the American singer-songwriter Ciara. In the US, Ciara peaked in 2005, when it was the Number 150 name; it's since fallen down to Number 882.

Ciara

With its soft sounds, its unisex appeal, and its nature connection, Rowan has become a very popular name for both boys and girls, given to nearly four boys for every girl. The Rowen variation maintains the same gender split but is much less popular for both sexes, with nearly four times as many babies named Rowan as Rowen.
 
The name likely comes from the tree of the same name, whose name comes from Old Norse, and means "to redden". Commonly found in Scotland, rowan trees are steeped in symbolism, said to warn off witches and provide life and protection. The alternative origin of Rowan is via the Irish name Ruadhán, meaning "little redhead" - so either way, you've got a "red" feeling name. 
The Rowen spelling began to make moves upwards in the early 2010s and while it does now rank in the US and UK Top 1000 names for boys, it has never broken into the charts for girls.

Rowen

A lucky word name that started to rise out of obscurity in the 2010s. Like Dream and True, Charm could be just one celebrity baby away from becoming a big trend. In fact, the Australian YouTube family, The Norris Nuts have a daughter/sister called Charm, born in 2019, after which the number of Charms born in the US increased by 40%. Given to 88 girls in a recent year it is probably more popular than people think.

Charm

Sweet, contemporary, and with a hint of magic, Emryn was a new addition to the US Top 1000 in 2023. Combining that popular 'Em' beginning of Emma and Emily, the sounds of Erin and Evelyn, and the vibes of Elowyn, Bronwen and Wren, Emryn is fun, quirky, and currently cool.
 While Emryn could be a modern invention, borrowing and blending popular name sounds, it could also be a variant of the Welsh name Emrys, combined with the 'ryn' suffix. This could give it the rather spectacular meaning of "immortal ruler" - adding a layer of power and mystique to a name that could also fit into the trendy and modern category. 
 
Emryn has been in use since 2010, and was given to a small handful of girls and an even smaller number of boys each year. Then, in 2023, its usage trebled, with over 300 baby Emryns being registered in the US. It may however be a "one hit wonder", as 2024 data revealed it to be one of the fastest falling names of the year, slipping out of the Top 1000 and back down to #1492 and more than halving in use.

Emryn

As Cora rises to become one of the most admired and popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">names for girls</a>, more and more variations will arise. But given that the original Greek form is Kore, this one isn't as kree8if as it first may appear. Still, Cora's appeal is its history and simplicity, both negated by Korra.

Korra

Kaira is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins, creating a beautiful synthesis of meanings across traditions. In Hindi, Kaira means 'peaceful' or 'peaceful place,' while some associate it with the Sanskrit word for 'crown.' In African traditions, particularly Yoruba, it can mean 'peaceful soul.' The name also appears as a variation of the Irish Keira (meaning 'dark-haired') or the Greek Kyra ('lady' or 'mistress'). Kaira has gained modest popularity in recent decades as parents seek distinctive yet melodious names with positive meanings. Its gentle sound combined with strong meanings of peace and leadership makes it appealing across cultures. Though not among the most common names, Kaira offers a balance of uniqueness and accessibility that continues to attract parents seeking a meaningful yet contemporary choice.

Kaira

Five letter girl names are led by the longtime top name Emily. Sofia, the Latinate spelling of Sophia popular in the US and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, is another top girl name with five letters.

girl names with five letters ranking in the US Top 200 

include Avery, Grace, Chloe, Layla, Riley, Ellie, Alexa, Hazel, and Sarah.


Classics Alice, Lydia, Clara, Julia, Edith, and Maria are all five letter girl names, as are the trendier Sadie, Piper, Kylie, and Quinn.

 on our recommended list include Anouk, Aziza, Celia, Darcy, Elsie, Mercy, Olive, Petra, and Tansy.


Browse our entire menu of five letter names for girls here, ranked according to their current popularity on Nameberry. 

Five letter names for baby girls, with top name Emily and both popular and unique girl names with 5 letters, including meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 17)

Five Letter Girl Names