Dog Names That Start With W
Across 6 pages
of 6
The names
Wayne
English occupational name
"maker of wagons"
When Marion Michael Morrison became John Wayne around 1930, his last name took on an air of cowboy cool that lasted about thirty years. These days however, Wayne has been replaced by Waylon, Wesley,…
Wilson
English
"son of Will"
Wilson is a substantive presidential choice far less prevalent than Taylor or Tyler, and with the advantage of being a new route to friendly nickname Will. We see Wilson growing in popularity as an…
Whitley
English
"white meadow"
Surname style Whitley emerged in the late 1980s as a spin on the (then) mega-popular Whitney, rising dramatically from obscurity to the Top 500 after it featured on a character in the TV sitcom, A…
Wes
Short form of Wesley, English
"West"
Short and cool with rugged charm, Wes is a rising star in the US, climbing the charts along side Wesley and Weston and joining other one syllable options such as Mack, Jett, Tate, and Brooks.…
Wilkie
Scottish surname from a diminutive of William
"resolute protection"
William was such a popular name, thanks to the Conquerer, in early England that it gave rise to a range of nicknames, including the distinctly Scottish Wilkie. Heard mostly as a surname these days,…
Wally
English, diminutive of Walter or Wallace
A Leave It to Beaver/old comic-strip name, vacationing for years with the Griswolds in WallyWorld, but now back as WALL-E?
Wendell
German, English
"wanderer; to travel, to proceed"
This name has hardly been used since Wendell Willkie ran for president in 1940, and it may not quite be ready for revival yet. Still, clunky grandpa names like Lionel, Douglas, Benedict, Carl, and…
Watson
English and Scottish surname related to Walter
"son of Wat"
What with the resurgence of W names like Weston and Walter, the prominence of high profile actress Emma and golfer Bubba, and even the attention paid to Watson, the IBM computer on "Jeopardy" (named…
Waldo
German, pet form of names such as Waldemar
"to rule"
Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of…
Walton
English
"fortified town"
Slightly more modern than Walter, but only just.
Wilfred
English
"desires peace"
Wilfred is one of those Old Man Names that still sounds fusty in the US but is fashionable in the UK. It comes with readymade short forms Will, Wilf, or Fred and might make an adventurous alternative…
Winthrop
English
"friend's village"
Proper Bostonian.
Whit
English
"white"
Whit is an uplifting short form of any number of surname-y full names, for Whitman to Whitaker to Whitney. But Whit stands perfectly well on its own and makes for a witty spin on modern virtue names .
Wilbur
English, German
"wild boar"
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…
Waverly
English
"meadow of quivering aspens"
Waverly, with its literary resonance and lilting three-syllable sound, could well become the next generation's successor to Kimberly. Its upper-crusty surname feel places it among the new stylish…
Wesson
Variation of Weston, English
"from the western town"
This weapon name, linked to arms manufacturer Smith and Wesson, entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
Winifred
Welsh
"blessed peacemaking"
One of the few remaining unrestored vintage gems, with a choice of two winning nicknames--the girlish Winnie and the tomboyish Freddie. Winifred, the name of a legendary Welsh saint, was a Top 200…
Winton
English
"friend's farm"
See WYNTON.
Wilhelm
German variation of William
"resolute protection"
This dignified German form of William belonged to two German Emperors and Kings of Prussia, as well as a host of other important historical figures. These include composer (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner,…
Wilma
Diminutive of Wilhelmina
"resolute protection"
In the US, Wilma is appears to be eternally fossilized in Bedrock as Fred Flintstone's wife, but in Sweden it's a Top 10 hottie. It did have its moment in the US--from 1912 to 1940 it was a Top 100…

