Boy Dog Names That Start With P

Poet is a new entry in both the trendy word and occupational categories as well as a member of the growing group of gender neutral names. A handful of baby boys received the name in the US last year. A perfect choice, especially in the middle, for the child of writers or those with a poetic bent. And Po is an adorable nickname for either gender.

Though Patrice is still common for boys in France, it has long been feminine here.

In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child.

For remembrance of books past, Proust might be a meaningful middle name.

Because it's a generic (and often derogatory) term for an Irishman, Paddy fell out of use as a diminutive or given name, though actress Mare Winningham used it not long ago.

Shakespeare's Tempest has kept the name Prospero alive.

This spelling does not dispel the "perv" connection.

Power is one of the new crop -- Justice, Liberty, Peace -- of strong, clear-cut, declarative choices, though this one carries more assertiveness than virtue.

The name of one of the greatest Western philosophers is often used as a first name in its land of origin, Greece, and would make a really interesting, thought-provoking choice here. It is remembered here as the nickname of the memorable character played by Sal Mineo in the classic film "Rebel Without a Cause."

Varying Filbert does not improve the name: it still makes one think of a nut.

There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.

Associated with the "Star Trek" commander of the USS Enterprise.

Though the name of his great tragic love Thisbe remains in modern use, that of her paramour Pyramus, a young Babylonian, has all but disappeared.

Peace may be an admirable sentiment to convey in a child's name, but the translated and thus more subtle versions, like Pax or Placido, might work better as first names.

Pistol is one of the new names that entered the lexicon in the US in 2013, when it was given to nine babies of each gender, though last year the trend had subsided and it was given to zero babies. Call it an equal-opportunity badass baby name with an unfortunately violent image.

Some names referring to expensive things -- Tiffany, Armani, Porsche -- are in fact declasse, but Price transcends that label with its simplicity and strength.

Pazel's abbreviated version, Paz, is far more modern and attractive.

A paradox is a statement that while seeming true contradicts itself. With the less-than-pleasant "Doxy" as an obvious nickname, Paradox is perhaps a better name for a cat than a baby.

While patriot Thomas Paine is a worthy honoree, the mere association with the word 'pain' knocks this name out of bounds.

Paterson is a surname-name to continue a line of Peters and also the name of a city in New Jersey, hometown of poets William Carlos Williams and Allen Ginsberg.