Pet Names
Rodent Names
Across 7 pages
of 7
Minnie
Diminutive of Wilhelmina, German
"resolute protection"
Minnie was wildly popular at the turn of the last century — it was the fifth or sixth most popular name throughout the 1880s — but is completely obscure in the US today. Blame Mickey's girlfriend.…
Minnow
English
"small fish"
This adorable fish name debuted on the baby name charts in 2020, inspired by a young girl character in the Netflix movie Love and Monsters . Minnow resembles well-established girl names Minnie,…
Mortimer
English
"dead sea"
Other kids might see a teasible connection to mortician or mortuary. Mortimer is an English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses; it was Walt Disney's original choice…
Mosley
English place name and surname
"peat bog, mouse clearing"
Mosley, former best known as the surname of author Walter, has been put in play as a first name for girls by football great Peyton Manning, who used the name for his twin daughter, sister of…
Mosley
English place name and surname
"peat bog, mouse clearing"
Mosley has seen a handful of uses — mostly among baby girls — since 2012, the year after Peyton Manning gave it to his daughter. It's much more familiar as a surname, such as that of novelist Walter…
Mulberry
Nature name
As a name, it's linked to Sir Mulberry Hawk, a character in Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby.
Myosotis
Flower name, from Greek
"mouse's ear; forget-me-not"
The name of a genus of flowering plants commonly known as "forget-me-not", deriving from a Greek word meaning "mouse's ear", because of the shape of the plant's leaves. The Spanish form Miosoti is…
Nebula
Latin
"mist"
Could be the next Nova, now that celestial baby names are in the ascendent.
Nero
Latin
"stern"
The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. Nero was born Lucius Domitius…
Newt
English
"a small salamander"
Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.
Nicodemus
Greek
"victory of the people"
This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Borne by the person who helps to entomb Jesus following his crucifixion, it has the powerful meaning of…
Pandora
Greek
"all gifted"
Pandora has occasionally been used by the British gentry (for girls with brothers who might be called Peregrine) and is now starting to be heard in the US too: It was given to 34 baby girls last…
Panya
African, Swahili; or, Russian, diminutive of Stephania
"mouse, tiny one; or, crowned one"
Panya is a multicultural possibility with a sound that's pleasing to the English-speaking ear, though the Swahili translation, which might also be "rat," makes it less than savory as an African name.
Peanut
Word name
Peanut is a name you might call a baby in the womb, but at least one set of parents put it on the birth certificate too. General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher and his fiance Ehiku named their son…
Peanut
Word name
Peanut Kai is the crazy celebrity baby name of the son of General Hospital star Ingo Rademacher and his fiance Ehiku. Cute but not recommended.
Pebbles
English, word name
As the former stage name of TLC founder Perri Reid and the name of the youngest member of the animated Flintstones clan, it's got some pop culture cache. But it'll be too cutesy by half for most…
Peggy
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men , with intriguing mid-century characters with names…
Perla
Spanish variation of Pearl
Consistently popular Latina gem name; good choice for those who can't shake Pearl's grandmotherly vibe.
Pinky
English
"pink"
This affectionate nickname was historically used for children with strong pink undertones, and was given as a first name several times throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. We prefer it as a pet…
Pip
English, diminutive of Philip
"lover of horses"
The original Pip was the main character in Great Expectations (full name Philip Pirrip). Cute for a tike, maybe too cute for an adult.