Pet Names · Dog Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 3 pages
of 3
Spanish variation of Matthew
"gift of God"
This semi-obscure historic name was recently chosen for their son by Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez. A possible namesake is Maceo Grajales, a Cuban guerrilla leader who was second-in-command of the…
Hebrew
"blessed"
Think of this as the Hebrew equivalent of Benedict or Benito; best for observant Jews.
Greek, French, from Hebrew
One of the relatives on the widely-branching family of John names, Yanis is in the French Top 50 and was a fast rising choice in the UK in 2022, when it went from being outside the Top 1000 to within…
French and German form of Matthias or Matthew
Very popular in France and Belgium, this name -- pronounced mat-tees, like the surname of the painter Matisse -- might make an appealing new way to say Matthew here.
Russian, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Romanian
"gift from God"
Popular in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Russia, and familiar in the UK too, Bogdan is a rugged and strong sounding choice with a similar meaning to US favorite Theodore. Made up of the Slavic…
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:…
Spanish from Greek
"blessed, happy"
Macario is the modern Spanish form of the ancient Greek Makarios or the Latinized Macarius and the name of several early saints. Accessible and worldly, Macario can lead to the friendly nickname Mac.…
Short form of Matthew
Still one of the most appealing short forms, which goes a long way toward explaining the sustained popularity of Matthew. Matt is perennially the popular guy in high school, friendly, attractive, and…
Welsh, variation of Evan
Yet another offshoot of the original John, also sometimes used as Jevan or Yevan.
English variation of Hebrew Zebediah
Zebedee is an adorable and unusual New Testament name--which may sound like but is not a contradiction in terms. Unlike some of the longer biblical Z -names, Zebedee has a more lighthearted…
"gift of Jehovah"
Biblical names are expanding (literally) as some parents move from Isaiah and Elijah to more elaborate choices with simple short forms, like Jedidiah and Zebediah. Zebediah, or Zebadiah, is the New…
Welsh
"fair, blessed"
Extremely popular in Wales, where it began as a nickname for someone with fair hair or a fair face, this bright and simple name is a winner by its very nature. Can also be spelled Wynn, Winn or the…
English
Seeley is a Medieval surname with a happy, fortunate meaning.
Italian
This Italian form of Benedict sidesteps the Benedict Arnold association that still clouds the English version.
Yiddish variation of Selig
A super quirky and upbeat choice, if it can ever shake off its ubiquitous-guy Woody Allen identity.
Macarius, the name of several early saints, is virtually unknown in the U.S. though its Spanish forms Macario and the feminine Macaria are sometimes used. With the revival of many ancient s-ending…
Hebrew; also Swahili from Arabic
"thunderbolt, lightning; or blessing"
The name of the 44th president, which he inherited from his Kenyan father, is related to the Swahili word "baraka," meaning "blessing," derived from the Arabic "baracka." It is linked, through the…
"blessed love"
A famous bearer is Carwyn Jones, leader of the Welsh Labour Party and First Minister of Wales since 2009. Feminine version is Carwen.
Russian variation of Theodore
"God's gift"
This variation of Theodore is familiar here mostly via the great Russian novelist Dostoyevsky. It was also the name of three early tsars of Russia.
One of the most unusual of the "iah" names, it comes with the appealing and usable nickname Zev.
