5 Letter Boy Names

Less popular than Emery, this name also attributes to Emory University. Both spellings of the name lean more heavily to the girls' side, but this one is not quite as unbalanced.

Emory is used about 40 percent of the time for baby boys, while with Emery, it's only a bit over 10 percent.

Emory

Leroy's heyday was in the early twentieth century, when it was in the US Top 100 until 1949. As a result, it's now more frequently seen as a father or grandfather name. Nevertheless, it remains in the latter end of the US Top 1000, perhaps passed down from father to son, or similar enough to popular Levi that it still appeals.
 
It comes from the French nickname le roi meaning "the king", which might also explain its continued use, considering the popularity of Kingsley, Rex, Saint, and similar.

Leroy

With a distinctive sound and a robust feel, Laith is a name that also has a touch of breezy charm to it. Currently in the UK Top 1000, it is a cross-cultural boy name that's also on the rise in the US. 
 
As an Arabic name, it has a cool, leonine meaning that feels right on trend (think Leo, Leander, Ariel and Azlan), while as a Scottish name, it derives from the name of the river Leith in Edinburgh, appropriately meaning "wet, damp". An alternative possibility however, is that is comes from the habitational surname, Laithen meaning "settlement by the watercourse". This might account for the spelling and pronunciation difference. 
 
Also spelled Layth in Arabic, Laith was given to around 200 boys in the US in a recent year, nearly double the name who received it a decade ago. 
 
Notable bearers include actor Laith Nakli, and model, singer, activist, and actor Laith Ashley, while Laith and Layla is a children's cartoon series.

Laith

Kaleo is one of a number of fast-rising Hawaiian names, thanks to its cool combination of sounds reminiscent of Kainoa and Mateo.

Kaleo

Macho to the max.  But with the rise of x as a fashionable letter anywhere it appears in a name, ala Jaxson or Maxon, we may be hearing more of Axton.

Axton

Jerry is one of those short forms that, like Mike and Debbie, rose to popularity on the coattails of their formal versions. The equivalents today are nickname names like Ellie and Theo.

Though Jerry has been on a long slow downward slide for 80 years, it still ranks among the Top 1000 baby boy names in the US.

Jerry

Ezra (and Ezrah) is potentially an abbreviation for the Hebrew phrase Azaryahu, meaning "Yah helps." In the Bible, Ezra led a group of fifteen hundred Israelites out of slavery in Babylon and back to Jerusalem. The Ezrah spelling is definitely less popular than the original Ezra, but is rising itself as well — Ezrah entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2022.

Ezrah

A play on the spelling of Isaac that's somehow been in the Top 1000 every year since 1880. (If only by a hair: In both 1926 and 1962, it came in at number 999.) It hit an all-time peak at Number 377 in 2007, and has slumped a fair bit in the ensuing decade.

Issac

Though some may find such names rather harsh and severe, increasing numbers of parents are gravitating toward this kind of flinty, steely, stony single-syllable name. 
 Many know the name via the distinguished TV newsman Stone Phillips; another bearer is Pearl Jam lead guitarist Stone Gossard. And yes, both were given the name at birth.

Stone

As trendy as the chic Colorado ski resort, with a hint of whimsy from the shimmering trees, Aspen has been climbing the charts for boys since the early 90s. While it has always been more popular for girls, it could work for a boy too. 
 
In fact more than 200 boys were called Aspen in the US in a recent year, meaning for every boy called Aspen, there are six girls. In the UK, the gap is smaller, with two baby girl Aspens to one boy.

Aspen

This Hebrew version of Ethan, also a place-name in southern Israel, works well here. Eitan is a Top 20 name in Israel and it has been on the rise in the US too, with 190 boys receiving the name in 2024.

Eitan

One of the many South Asian names skyrocketing up the U.S. popularity charts. This one, with its user-friendly similarity to Ryan, was brought to the fore when Bollywood superstar Karisma Kapoor used it for her son in 2010.

Kiaan

Caius is classical and serious but also has a simple, joyful quality. There was a third century pope named Caius, as well as an early Christian writer, several Shakespearean characters, and a Twilight vampire. We would pronounce the name to rhyme with eye-us though at Cambridge University in England, where it's the name of a college, it's pronounced keys. 
 Nickname Cai is a definite asset.

Caius

Rugged and outdoorsy, Heath was an obscure choice until the 1960s when it was used in the television series, The Big Valley for character Heath Barkley. It peaked in the 70s when it reached the US Top 200, but it has since fallen to the latter end of the Top 1000.
 
Australian actor Heath Ledger was a notable bearer of the name, whose tragic death in 2008 led to a brief spike in popularity in the US. 
 Heath is the name of a popular toffee candy bar by Hershey's.

Heath

While Jairus is rare, this Spanish variation is heard in the US, having ranked in the Top 1000 for the last three decades. It currently ranks in the latter end of the charts, while similar sounding Kairo, Cairo, and Kyro rank higher. 
 Jairo Penaranda is a former professional football player, having the distinction of being the first Colombian to play in the NFL.

Jairo

Creed already feels cool, but Kreed gives it a trendier edge. Deriving from the Latin word credo meaning "I believe", it refers to any set of beliefs and principles that someone follows, or to a formal declaration of Christian beliefs. 
 
Joining Chozen, Kruz, Zyon, and Kross as modern Christian names with a twist, Kreed began to rise up the charts when the traditional spelling entered the US Top 1000 in 2016. It has since more than tripled in use, and was given to around 203 babies in 2024.

Kreed

Rowdy was first famously used as a given name in the television series Rawhide, with the young Clint Eastwood playing Rowdy Yates. More recently, competitive swimmer Rowdy Gaines has been featured in a series of TV commercials, and a new badass baby name is gaining notice. 

The word Rowdy originated in the U.S. in the early 19th century, used to describe a rough or lawless backwoodsman. It's one of the distinctly <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/519/american-baby-names">American names</a>. In fact, 2024 saw it feature as one of the fast rising names of the year when it entered the US Top 1000 for the first time when it was given to 250 boys.

Rowdy

A international feeling name of Japanese origin that could be used to refer to a child's place in the family, Kenji has attracted notice in the US as the name of The Food Lab chef, James Kenji López-Alt, know simply as Kenji. It appeared in the latter end of the US Top 1000 in 2023.
 
As with a number of Japanese names, Kenji has multiple meanings. It can refer to a second son, as ji means "two", however the first syllable, ken can mean "study, sharpen", "healthy, strong", "modest", and "research".

Kenji

Zamir in its various forms is becoming more familiar in the US, thanks to its cross-cultural appeal, its zippy Z beginning and its uplifting meanings. From its Hebrew and Albanian roots, it is a musical choice, meaning "singer" or "nightingale", while following its Arabic origins gives you the meaning "heart" or "conscience."
 
Though the more traditional Zamir is still the more popular option in the US currently, 2024 saw it decline in popularity, while Zymir saw a huge leap up the charts. The contemporary looking spelling entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2024, when it was given to 240 boys.

Zymir

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

Ricky

Boy names with 5 letters are a populous group, containing some of the top names for boys throughout the Western World, from James to Jakob to Jules.

The classic James is the leading five letter name for boys in the US

. Along with James, three other five letter names rank among the Top 10 names for boys in the US: Lucas, Mason, and Logan. The British Top 10 includes five-letter boy names Harry and Oscar.

 are Elias, Jonas, and Felix. Along with Lucas at Number 1, 

, while in France the top five-letter names for boys are Lucas (again!) and Jules.

 classic boy names that contain five letters

 include Henry, Jacob, and Peter, with other countries featuring such five-letter variations as Henri, Jakob, and Pedro.

 that we recommend include Atlas, Bodhi, Linus, and Urban.



If you're looking for a five-letter name for your baby boy, here's our complete collection, ranked according to their current popularity on Nameberry. 

Five letter boy names, including popular and unique boy names with five letters, including meanings, origins, and current popularity (Page 14)

Five Letter Boy Names