5 Letter Girl Names

A variation of mega popular name Emma and all of her cousins, Emmie came back to the US Top 1000 for the first time in 80 years in 2016. It's phonetically the same as more popular Emmy, but this option may avoid the award show connection. We could see it rising in future years.

Emmie

Rowan has been shooting up the charts on both the boys' and the girls' side, carrying the appeals of a trendy "o" vowel, a soft sound, and a nature connection to top it off. The modern variation Rowyn has followed in its footsteps and while the traditional spelling is used five times more often, Rowyn is still given to around 350 girls each year. 
 
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 Rowyn spelling really took off in 2015, and it did feature, albeit briefly, in the US Top 1000 in 2022. The modern Y spelling mirrors Emersyn, Robyn, and Karsyn, and may be an effort to make it more "obviously" feminine - though Rowyn is still given to around 80 boys each year too). But the proportion of baby girls to baby boys named Owen runs more than 4 to 1 in favor of the girls, while Rowan and Rowen run 4 to 1 on the boy side. The rarest form, Roen, tips the furthest toward the boys' side.

Rowyn

After a 60 year slide down the popularity ladder, Robin made a turnaround in 2020 and began climbing back into favor for baby girls. One reason may be its new status as one of the most evenly-divided gender neutral names.

For girls, Robin ranks in the Top 100 in the Netherlands, but for boys it's become extremely popular in France, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. And the trendiness of the entire group of bird names certainly helps it sound more stylish too.

Robin

Cute nickname of Angela and other angelic names, Angie is now being used on its own, although its popularity has fallen in recent years. That said, Angie is one of those surprising classics, hanging on in the girls' Top 1000 continuously since its inception in 1880.

Angie

Alena is a modern variant of Helen.   Alena might also be a spelling twist on the Slavic Alina or a long form of Lena.

Alena

A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity, Lacey is a favorite in the UK where it ranks in the Top 500. Likely derived from the name of a place in Normandy, it might occasionally be considered a diminutive to Wallace ("Welshman") or Larissa ("citadel").
 
The original spelling Lacy was once used for boys in the US, but Lacey has predominantly charted for girls, peaking in the 90s when it reached the Top 200. In the UK, it even made the Top 50 in 2010, having begun to climb the charts after actress Lacey Turner took up her role in the long-running soap, Eastenders back in 2004. 
 
Also spelled Laci and Lacie, the name has seen a decline in popularity in recent years, though it remains a pretty choice.
 
Notable bearers include actress Lacey Chambert and wrestler Lacey Evans.

Lacey

Like Peggy and Patsy, Penny is a peppy vintage nickname that fell out of favor (and the Top 1000) for a while, but has recently rebounded by reentering the charts in 2013. Expect it to continue gaining traction on the heels of Penelope.
 
A Top 200 choice in England and Wales, Penny could be considered a word name, as in the copper coin used in England and the US, and as a musical choice, thanks to The Beatles song, Penny Lane.

Penny

Kiana (or more appropriately, Quiana) is the original polyester name, coming into favor in the 1970s but then drifting downward for years before taking a surprise turn back up the charts, perhaps thanks to its resemblance to the popular Keanu.
Kiana Brown is an American singer-songwriter and actress, currently appearing on the MTV series Scream.

Kiana

The Maisie spelling may be more widely used, but Maisy is perfectly proper and also makes the British Top 100.  And as Maisy, she feels like a closer relative to Daisy, another Margaret diminutive.

Maisy

Credit the award-winning single-named British singer for taking the <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls’ name</a> Adele from a quiet semi-retirement back into currency. Adele reentered the US Top 1000 <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular baby names</a> in 2011 and has remained there ever since. 
Adele is both a saint's and a royal name, having originated as the French version of the German Adela. It's one of the most stylish <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/a">girl names starting with A</a>. 
Molly Ringwald chose Adele for one of her twins, and Fred Astaire's first dancing partner was his older sister Adele.
 Historically, Adele was the name of the youngest daughter of William the Conquerer. Music lovers might associate the name with a character in Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus, while a prime literary reference is Jane Eyre's young charge.

Adele

In many Slavic and other European countries, Milan is purely a <a href="https://nameberry.com/boys-names">boys’ name</a>, but in the US, it's also popular for girls – no doubt inspired by the fashionable Italian city. It entered the Top 1000 for boys in 2013, while for girls it has been in the Top 1000 since 2009. Currently, it is given to three boys for everyone one girl. 

 The more exclusively feminine Mila and Milana are becoming more popular for girls and singer Shakira has chosen Milan for her son. In America, Milan looks set to remain one of the most stylish unisex names of the moment.
 
As a name, it is a multicultural choice, with its origins in Slavic (meaning "gracious, dear"), Sanskrit (meaning "union"), and Latin, possibly meaning "middle of the plain".

Milan

Kaeli, a form of the trendy Kaylee, was the fastest-rising girls' name of 2023, inspired by social media influencer Kaeli Mae.

Kaeli is a new spin on a name that's been popular in several forms of the years, from Kelly to Kayla to Kylie to Kaylee (in many spellings) to Kaeli.

Kaeli

Kenna is the Scottish version of Kendra, both of which are feminine versions of Kenneth. Used in the TV show Reign for one of the supporting characters.

Kenna

Elina is one of the many variations of mother name Helen to make the US Top 1000 list, and is given to around 300 girls each year. While it might blend in among the Helenas, Elenas, and Alinas, it might be a good way to go if you want the eh-lee-nuh pronunciation or the potential for nicknames Elle, Ellie, or Ella. 
 
Popular in Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Latvia, and Armenia, Elina is an international name that can also be spelled with various accents, depending on where it is used. Elīna is most often seen in Latvia, while Élina is sometimes used in France.

Elina

Azari is a rising unisex name invented as a variation of Azariah or Azhari. With its I-ending and prominent Z, we see Azari going places — this is one to watch, especially with Azariah, Azaire, and Azair rising on the boys' side and Azaria and Zariah on the girls'. 
As a variation of Azariah, this name has its origins in Hebrew, and means "helped by God", however, it may also be a form of the Malay Azhari, which ultimately derives from the Arabic Zahra meaning "shining".
 
Currently more popular for girls, it appeared in the latter end of the US Top 1000 in a recent year, when it was chosen for 307 girls compared to 92 boys.

Azari

Popular Portuguese and Spanish name that refers to "dulce nombre de Maria" -- the sweet name of the Virgin Mary. English variant Dulcie has a different pronunciation, and is significantly less popular in the US, given to 8 babies compared to the 438 girls called Dulce in 2024.

Dulce

Celia, splendidly sleek and feminine, is a name that was scattered throughout Shakespeare and other Elizabethan literature, but still manages to feel totally modern. Derived from the Latin Caelius, it means "heavenly".
 Shakespeare has been credited with introducing Celia in As You Like It, and it was to Celia that the poet Ben Jonson penned the immortal line, "Drink to me only with thine eyes." Other literary Celias have appeared in works ranging from George Eliot's Middlemarch to T. S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party to Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin</em.>
 
While Celia has a similar sound to Cecilia, and may well be used as a short form of the longer name, the two have different roots. Cecilia comes from the Latin caecus meaning "blind", while Celia is from caelum meaning "heaven". 
 
Familiar but not overused, Celia has been in the US Top 1000 since records began in the 1880s, however, it has been outside the Top 500 since the 60s. Also in the England and Wales Top 1000, it is a favorite in Spain, France, and Belgium. Said as SEE-lee-uh or SEEL-yuh among English speakers, in Spanish, it may be pronounced THEHL-ya or SEHL-ya, depending on region. 
 
A bit of trivia: Celia is an anagram of Alice, meaning it could potentially work as an honor name.

Celia

Inaya is a soft and expressive name that derives from the Arabic word "inayah", meaning "care, concern, help". It is an indirect Qur'anic name, and the strictly feminine form of the unisex Inayat.
 
A name with multiple spelling variants, including Anaya, Inaaya and Enayah, Inaya was one of the fastest rising names in the US in 2024. It now sits in the Top 800 and is given to nearly 370 babies each year. 
 Across Europe, it is a Top 100 girls' name in several countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and it is trending upwards in the UK and Switzerland too. With its pleasing meaning, appealing look, and gentle but sparkly sounds, it seems set to follow in the footsteps of Soraya, Farrah, Leila and Aaliyah as an Arabic name that is also popular in the English-speaking world.
 
Notable namesakes include singer Inaya Day, Lebanese politician Inaya Ezzeddine, and British journalist and presenter Inaya Folarin Iman. 
 
Currently, the spelling variant, Anaya remains more popular in the US and has been since the 2000s, though this might be attributed to the fact it is also a Spanish place name. Inaya has something more distinctive about it, with that underused 'In-' beginning and sleek spelling that may see it rise further in coming years.

Inaya

Pearl, like Ruby, has begun to be polished up for a new generation of fashionable children after a century of jewelry box storage. The birthstone for the month of June, Pearl could also make a fresher middle name alternative to the overused Rose. Cool couple Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson named their daughter Pearl Minnie, followed by Jack Osbourne picking Pearl Clementine. Several celebs have put it in the middle spot, as in Busy Philipps's Cricket Pearl, Jake Owen's Olive Pearl and Caleb Followill's Dixie Pearl .
After being a Top 25 name in the late nineteenth century, Pearl went into a long slide, but is showing signs of a strong comeback -- it reentered the Top 1000 in 2010.
 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne, who gives her the name because she is 'her mother's only treasure.'
 Pearl was also the alter ego name of Janis Joplin, tied to singer Pearl Bailey, and---hmm--the birth name of western writer Zane Gray.
 Variations are PERLE and PERLA.

Pearl

A fast rising choice in the US, Belen is a name with two possible origins. On one hand, it could be a variation — or an anglicization — of Belén, the Spanish form of Bethlehem. This would make it a spiritual choice, connected to the birth place of Jesus. 
 
Alternatively, though more rarely, Belen can be a Turkish name meaning "mountainside" and appears in the name of a number of places in Turkey. 
 
Popular in Chile, Spain, and Uruguay, Belen (or Belén) has been on the charts in the US since the 2000s and peaked in a recent year when it first entered the Top 7000. Given to 430 girls, it could make an unexpected option for nickname Belle (or Bel), or a way to Benny, Bee, and Leni.

Belen

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 9)

Five Letter Girl Names