Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 18 pages
of 18
Diminutive of Charles
The jazziest nickname for Charles.
German
"bright, glorious"
Ever since Allied soldiers in World War I dubbed the enormous German cannon "Big Bertha", this name hasn't worked for a sweet little baby girl. But this was not always so. Hard as it might be to…
English word name or diminutive of Candace, Latin
"white, pure, sincere"
Too sugary sweet and inconsequential for a modern girl.
English variation of Leroy
Once a staple of the 1920s, like Leroy and Elwood, Elroy is languishing in style limbo now. One feature that might make it worth a second glance is its royal meaning, for those looking for a vintage…
Welsh
"life, spirit"
This Celtic goddess and Arthurian name may sound terminally old-ladyish to many ears--but so did names like Ella and Etta not so long ago. So Enid is yet another forgotten four-letter E-possibility:…
Mande from Arabic
"captivating, a woman who abstains"
A West African version of the Arabic name Fatima, also used by diaspora communities, e.g. in France. The name of the fruit soda brand was created by the German branch of Coca-Cola in 1940. It derives…
Latin
"light-bearer"
Lucifer is the name of the archangel cast into hell and while theologians disagree on whether he and Satan are separate beings, it long been on the list of forbidden names for religious and…
Word name
For basketball fans, in honor of Magic Johnson. Or anyone who believes in magic.
Greek
"lion of the new city"
Overly ambitious choice, recently borne by the hapless hero of cult movie hit Napoleon Dynamite.
Teutonic, French, early form of Ludwig or Louis
An aromatic, unconventional name.
English, Literary, meaning unknown
Though modern parents seeking to honor an ancestor named Thelma might opt for the airier Thea instead, Thelma is starting to make its way back onto adventurous vintage name lovers' radars. It is…
Greg is a masculine name that originated as a diminutive of Gregory, which comes from the Greek name Gregorios, meaning 'watchful' or 'alert.' While Gregory has been used since early Christian times,…
"security, hostage, pledge"
Homer is a name of two halves, associated with the ancient Greek poet of the epic Odyssey and with the (often) doltish patriarch of The Simpsons . So does that make Homer a classic and scholarly…
English slang
"aggressive energy, know-how"
Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe.
English, contraction of Dennison
This could be a possible replacement for the overused Tyson, though it has something of a commercial feel related to the brand of vacuum cleaners.
Scottish and Irish
"man of force"
In Celtic lore, Fergus was the ideal of manly courage, making it a charming, slightly quirky Scottish and Irish favorite. As a name, Fergus forms a link between Ireland and Scotland, as Gaelic…
English word name
"person in charge"
A commanding word name that feels occupational like Miller, Palmer, and Shepherd, while also fitting in with ambitious choices like Legend, King, Major, Maverick, and Saint. Referring to someone who…
Though mountain climbers may want to honor the famed Central Asian mountain range known as the Hindu Kush, associations with marijuana and Jared Kushner make this a hard sell.
"a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash"
This booming word name has been used every year since 1988, yet at most was given to 30 baby boys in a single year. But with names like Thunder, all it takes is one celebrity to bring it to the…
Spanish
"meadows"
One of the major American city names that's very unlikely to catch on as a baby name, although a small number of children are given the name each year.
