Five Letter Boy Names
Across 273 pages
of 273
Leart
Variation of Laertes
Laertes, Ophelia's headstrong brother in Hamlet , has long been an intriguing namesake; Shakespeare got his name from the name of Odysseus' father in Greek mythology. But the ending "-es" feels a…
Laert
Variation of Laertes
An abbreviated, more modern-sounding version of Shakespearean and Ancient Greek name Laertes. If the "ae" is too confusing for you, Leart is another option.
Varro
Latin cognomen
The name of minor characters in Shakespeare's two of Roman plays – Julius Caesar and Timon of Athens – and a noble Spanish surname. Though probably etymologically unrelated to the Latin word for…
Anish
Sanskrit
"supreme"
A not uncommon name in India that's become associated, in the West, with famed sculptor Anish Kapoor, who won the prestigious Turner Prize in 1991. It's also the name of (among others) a…
Chidi
Igbo
"God exists"
A very common boys' name (and nickname) in Nigeria that some Americans will recognize as the name of one of the main characters on NBC's The Good Place .
Deran
Variant of Darren
The spelling used by a character on TNT's Animal Kingdom and, we hope, few others.
Jelco
Modern invented names
One of the many outlandish names to come out of Canadian sci-fi series Killjoys .
Turin
Italian place name
The name of an extremely civilized, wealthy city in the north of Italy merits more notice as a first name, a la Verona and Milan. It was used as one in the Canadian sci-fi series Killjoys .
Kaya
Turkish
"rock, cliff"
While Kaya is used predominantly as a feminine name in English speaking countries, it is also a Turkish masculine name with a rugged meaning. It has ranked in the English and Welsh Top 1000 for boys…
Estha
Diminutive of Esthappen
The name of the hero in Arundhati Roy's acclaimed 1997 novel The God of Small Things , who is rendered mute by childhood trauma. His twin sister, with whom he is very close, is named Rahel. Probably…
Revel
English word name
"rejoice"
A joyous (if a little rowdy) word name that's still relatively undiscovered by parents, being given to about 10 babies of each sex per year. Glee actor Matthew Morrison named his son Revel in 2017.
Faver
French
"help, mercy"
Not all names that end in -er were originally occupational. This one, for instance, is a surname name that derives from the Old French for "help" or "mercy."
Katsu
Japanese
"victory"
As well as meaning victory, the name Katsu is strongly associated with heroism and masculinity.
Lupin
Flower, animal, and literary name, from Latin
"pertaining to the wolf"
Lupin is an unusual flower name with roots in Old French, from the Latin lupinus , meaning "pertaining to the wolf". In the literary world, it's the surname of Remus Lupin, a popular character in the…
Iorek
Literary name
Iorek Byrnison is king of the armored bears and a fierce and brave companion of Lyra’s in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. The name Iorek appears to have been coined by Pullman for the…
Dawud
Arabic variation of David
Dawud is a widely-used Arabic name, a version of David that is among the British Top 1000 names for boys .
Lowan
Indigenous Australian
"malleefowl"
Half-way between Logan and Rowan, Lowan could be an interesting pick for parents looking for an off-the-beaten-track nature name.
Canto
Italian
"song or stanza"
A canto is a literary term denoting a long passage in a poem. Dante's Divine Comedy is broken into such cantos. As a name, Canto packs in literary credentials with pithy punch.
Verse
English word name
"verse"
Page, Poet, and Story all get used as names, so why not Verse? Teen Mom 's Kailyn Lowry used it as a name for one of her sons.
Haiku
Japanese poetic form
Short and sweet, just like the form of poetry - this name has serious potential as an interesting and plucky international choice.