Dog Names That Start With I
Across 7 pages
of 7
The names
Ila
Scottish, Hindi, Hungarian, Finnish
"from the island; earth, sacred speech; shining light; joy"
A simple name that's rising fast in the US, likely inspired by the popularity of Isla and Ayla. This streamlined form might appeal to those who like Ana, Ivy, and Ada, and it brings a multicultural…
Indy
Short form of Indiana
Indie — as in indie films — is the more girlish version of the name, but earthy, gender-neutral Indy is catching up slowly and steadily. Indy entered the Top 1000 for girls for the first time in 2023…
Icy
English word name
"icy"
A short form of the modern coinage Icelyn that feels cool as a short form, but too frosty for a full name.
Ira
Hebrew, Sanskrit
"watchful one; wind"
Succinct and sharp, Ira is one of the shortest Old Testament names, belonging to one of King David's thirty 'mighty warriors.' It was widely used in the US from the 1880s to the early 1930s (it was…
Isidor
German and Russian variation of Isidore
"gift of Isis"
Isidore and variants are remarkably underused and ripe for revival, a la Theodore and company.
Irvin
Scottish
"handsome, fair of face"
Irvin is an Old Man name that has an uncertain future. Losing the final g in Irving makes the name slightly less dated -- but just slightly. There's something about the 'erv' sound that makes Irvin…
Indigo
Greek
"Indian dye"
Indigo is one of the most appealing and evocative of the new generation of color names. Color names have joined flower and jewel names -- in a big way -- and Indigo, a deep blue-purple dye from…
Izan
Basque variation of Ethan or Japanese
"strong, firm; reliable mountain"
Izan, pronounced with the same vowel sounds and emphasis as Ethan, ranks among the Top 20 boys' names in Spain, where it's been popular for two decades. The US is starting to catch onto this…
Ima
Japanese
"present, now"
Frequently cited as an example of cruel baby naming, à la Ima Hogg.
Ishaan
Hindi
"the sun"
Ishaan is the guardian of the Northeast in the Hindu religion. Ishaan: Sapno Ko Awaaz De is a kids' television show on Disney Channel India, starring a teenage boy named Ishaan.
Isidore
Greek
"gift of Isis"
Isabel, Theodore, and Isadora are back: could it now be time for a more widespread revival of Isidore? Yet to see any big moves up the charts, Isidore was given to more than 30 boys in a recent year:…
Ignatz
German variation of Ignatius
Natz recommended.
Icelynn
Invented English name, combination of word name Ice and suffix -lynn
"beautiful ice; frozen lake; Iceland"
Icelynn is a modern smoosh name which rose 300 places in the popularity charts in 2023, then another 200 in 2024. It combines the strong I sound of Ivy, Iris, and Isla, with the on-trend -lynn ending…
Ivey
Surname name, variation of Ivy
"son of Ive; person from Ivoy; ivy plant"
Ivey can be considered an alternate spelling of the botanical name Ivy, but it also has separate origins as a surname. For the Anglo-Saxon Ivey line, Ivey means "son of Ive," while for the…
Ines
Italian, Portuguese, Slovene and Croatian variation of Agnes
"pure, virginal"
This form of Agnes, Ines has always been popular since the true story of the thwarted lovers Queen Ines of Castro and King Peter of Portugal. This has to be one of the most heartbreaking and bloody…
Ione
Greek
"violet flower"
This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan. Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs —…
Ingram
German
"angel-raven"
An undiscovered surname possibility with upscale overtones, could be enlivened with nickname Ingo.
Isidro
Spanish form of Isidoros, Greek
"gift of Isis"
Another Spanish boys' name that relates to a goddess, the Egyptian Isis. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid.
Ida
German
"industrious one"
Many vowel names stylish a century ago are coming back, and Ida seems like a possible, logical successor to Ada and Ava. A century ago, Ida was considered "sweet as apple cider," and was Number 10 on…
Ishmael
Hebrew
"God will hear"
Ishmael is most familiar through "Call me Ishmael," the opening line spoken by the youthful narrator of Moby-Dick . Few American parents have followed that advice, though the Spanish and Arabic…
