Pet Names · Dog Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 3 pages
of 3
Hebrew
"gift"
Benevolent name found in Israel in several forms, including Doran and Doroni.
Tamil, possibly "gift of God"
"gift of God"
An appealing Hindi name borne by Mindy Kahling's architect father Avu Chokalingam. She bestowed it on her son Spencer as a middle name in 2020.
Welsh
"white, fair, blessed"
Yet another member of the Gwyn/Gwen/Finn family of names ultimately deriving from a Celtic element meaning "white", Guin gets rare use in England and Wales; a notable bearer is Olympic- medal winning…
Diminutive of Jonathan
"gift of Jehovah"
Jaunty, to say the least, Jonty might be an option if Johnny feels too old school. It has been noticed most often on the playing fields, as in U.K. rugby player Jonty Parkin (born Jonathan) and South…
Greek
"gift of Artemis, goddess of the hunt"
This name has a nice mythological, historical, Three Musketeers-ish ring.
"fair, white, blessed"
Welsh heritage choice that's rare today even in its native land.
French
"blessed"
A French form of Benedict that makes a smooth and elegant choice, although the pronunciation may trip people up in an English speaking environment.
German
"blessed, happy in life"
Selig comes from the Yiddish vocabulary word meaning 'happy, fortunate, blessed.' Most of us are more familiar with its Woody Allen variation, Zelig.
Italian variation of Thaddeus
A particularly charming spin on the original, as is the Spanish name Tadeo. It debuted in the US Top 1000 in 2016.
Dutch short form of Matthijs
Usually pronounced to rhyme with nice — though others may rhyme it with Jace — Thijs is a popular Dutch name short for that country's form of Matthew. Matt Lauer's half-Dutch son is called Thijs.
West African
Diarra has a nice meaning, but we could see it leading to possible teasing re association with a certain digestive problem.
