5 Letter Boy Names

Ollie is the versatile go-to nickname for the hugely popular Oliver, though the large majority of parents prefer to have the more formal name on the birth certificate. Even in the UK where nickname names are especially in vogue (and Ollie does rank in the Top 150), long-form Oliver is still used more than seven times more frequently. 
 
Derived from Latin to mean "olive tree", friendly Ollie was in the US Top 300 in the early half of the 20th-century, however, you may be surprised to learn it actually ranked higher for girls until the 50s. Currently out of the Top 1000 entirely, a recent year saw it given to 207 boys and 80 girls.

Ollie

A number of stylish Indian names are making their way to the US mainstream, including wise Rishi. In Hindu mythology, the Rishis are sages and seers; in modern times, Rishi Rich is a popular British-born musician and record producer and Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister of the UK in 2022.
 And in the US, Rishi has made its way into the US Top 1000 for the first time ever in 2023.

Rishi

A fresher spin on Jaxon, with built-in cool nickname Nix, and a great way to honor an ancestral Nick. But the association with disgraced former president Richard Nixon remains strong, which might explain why this otherwise bang-on-trend surname name has remained under the radar, peaking at #482 in 2017.

Nixon

An eider is a sea duck whose feathers make ultra-soft eiderdown.

Eider is also one of the fastest-rising boys' names that's still under the radar, increasing more than a thousand places in popularity last year though still ranking below the Top 1000.

Eider

Cute kid with freckles, bouncing a Spalding ball. Cool couple Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton put the name Billy Burton on their son's birth certificate. While the classic William, name of the future king of England, may in fact be German, the nickname Billy along with such other classic short forms as Jim and Joe are authentically <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/502/english-names-for-boys">English names for boys</a>.

Billy

A strong, evergreen Muslim choice, also spelled Nazeer, this name has several possible meanings. Some sources suggest it comes from the word naziruh meaning "counterpart", while others interpret it as deriving from naḏīr meaning "bringer of bad news" or "herald". 
 
Alternatively, it may link back to zah meaning "radiant, shining, beautiful", while as a title, it is significant in Islamic tradition, given to an overseer of a waqf (a charitable endowment). 
 
Nazir made its debut in the US Top 1000 in 2024 when it was given to 242 babies, notable bearers include solicitor, prosecutor and mediator, Nazir Afzal, and singer Nazir Habibov.

Nazir

Common Arabic version of Elijah. The Ilyes spelling is a Top 100 name in France.

Ilyas

Kiyan is a cross-cultural choice with a familiar and approachable sound. It has its roots in Persian where it means "king, "royalty" or "high status", though it may also be interpreted as coming from kieyan meaning "universe" or "cosmos". 
 
Alternatively, it may be used as a variation of the Arabic Keyan, meaning "being, essence, entity" or "existence" or the Irish Cian, meaning "ancient". As such, whichever meaning you turn to, it has an inspiring and powerful feel, while remaining a grounded choice.
 
The name Kiyan was chosen for 135 boys in the US in 2024, while in the UK and the Netherlands, it ranked in the Top 700 and 500 respectively.

Kiyan

Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile, along with its soundalike Sonny. Sunny Pawar, the five-year-old star of the 2016 smash-hit movie Lion, was cast from among thousands of young hopefuls after auditioning at his school in Mumbai. Sunny is often heard in India as a nickname for Sunil, Sundeep or Sunita, but it’s also bestowed as a standalone with the literal meaning of "sunny; radiant; cheerful".

Sunny

Short and sharp with a nature related meaning, Vance was trending upwards in recent years thanks to the musicians Foy Vance and Vance Joy. 2024 saw it take a downwards dip however, likely due to its association with the vice president, JD Vance, a controversial association which it might not recover from for a while. Time, however, will tell. 
 Chynna Phillips and William Baldwin used it for their son in 2002.

Vance

A succinct and stylish Japanese name with an appealing and powerful meaning, Aizen can be interpreted as translating to "love and goodness", "lover of good", or "one whose good deeds come from love" — all qualities that parents may hope for in their children.
 
A name with spiritual significance too, Aizen forms part of the Japanese name for Rāgarāja, a Buddhist deity and Wisdom King, who could turn earthly lust into spiritual awakening. Known as Aizen Myō'ō in Japanese and Àirǎn Míngwáng in Sanskrit, his name translates to "love-strained wisdom king".
 
In popular culture, it may be familiar thanks to popular manga and anime series, Bleach, which features a character called Sousuke Aizen. 
 
The name has been on the rise in the US, with more than 220 babies given the name in a recent year.

Aizen

Kareem is the more popular form in the US, thanks to basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but Karim is right on his heels after being among the fastest-rising names of 2022. French soccer player Karim Benzema's recent success on the elite team Real Madrid may play in a part in the name's upswing.

Karim

Your friendly next-door neighbor...not your baby. Although Larry was once one of the most popular <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/l">boys' names starting with L</a>, that title now belongs to Liam.

Larry

Ever since Austin Powers enlightened Americans that "randy" meant "horny," it's been hard to take this name seriously, and Randy has declined in popularity since.

Randy

Handsome Arabic name that is well-used internationally. Ayman is a Top 500 name in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, and a Top 100 name in Spain. It could very easily be borne by an American child.

Ayman

Bobby is the quintessential mid-century nickname, the name of the son on Mad Men and overused to the point of cliche. Though Robert is still a highly popular choice, most Roberts today are called by their full name or Rob or Robbie rather than Bob or Bobby.

 In the UK the term "bobby" is slang for a policeman.

Bobby

Dhruv is a legendary king and devotee of Vishnu.

Dhruv

Kanan is multicultural name with a number of different origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well. A Top 50 choice in Azerbaijan, Kanan also made a brief appearance in the US Top 1000 in 2022. Given to around 200 boys each year, it feels familiar and rare at the same time.
 
When derived from the Sanskrit kanana, Kanan is a nature-inspired name meaning "forest" that is used as a unisex option in India. Following its Arabic roots, Kanan might mean "trader" or "merchant", while in Azerbaijani, it is a variant of the ancient region of Canaan, as mentioned in the Bible. In this case, it would have the meaning "low, humble". In fact, Kanan, as used in the US, might just be a simplified spelling of Kanan, giving nod to sound-alikes such as Kane or Kaden. 
 
Notable bearers include actor, comedian, and YouTuber, Kanan Gill, footballer-turned-manager Kanan Karimov, and fictional character Kanan Jarrus, from the Star Wars Franchise.

Kanan

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian added this new word name to the lexicon when they chose it for their second son and fourth child in 2019. It is now 7 times more popular than it was then, given to 120 boys and 40 girls in a recent year. 
 
Deriving from the Greek word psalmoi, psalm translates to "the words accompanying instrumental music", and in a Christian context, it refers to the hymns and songs of praise in the Book of Psalms.
 
As a name, Psalm joins the growing list of spiritual words that <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/769/modern-christian-baby-names/all">contemporary Christian parents</a> are choosing for their children, among which Saint, Shepherd, and Chosen are in the Top 1000. While Psalm has yet to catch up with these just yet, it does hold appeal in that its reminiscent of the familiar Sam.

Psalm

One of the first breakaway <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a>, Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates. Popular in the mid-20th-century, it has fallen out of favor in recent years, replaced by Tommy, Sonny, and Ozzy.
 
Terry emerged as a diminutive of Terence which derived from a Roman family name of uncertain meaning. Possibilities however include "soft" or "one who threshes". Alternatively, it could be an English contraction of the French Thierry, a variation on Theodoric, meaning "ruler of the people".

Terry

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 16)

Five Letter Boy Names