Cute Dog Names

When aspiring British writer Sadie Smith decided to change her name to the more distinctive and zippy Zadie at the age of fourteen, this attention-magnet name was born. But though it might sound like a modern initial-switch, Zadie was actually Number 539 in 1881, remaining in the Top 1000 for almost thirty years.
 
Currently given to around 115 girls in the US each year, across the pond in England and Wales, Zadie is making moves up the charts. A mash up of two popular choices, Zara and Sadie, which a hint of Jodie and Zoe thrown in, Zadie makes a distinctive but very wearable choice.

Zadie

Talented actress Rooney Mara (originally born Patricia Rooney) has single-handedly transformed this Gaelic surname into a wearable and elegant girls' name. Often said to mean "red-haired", the original surname, rendered as O' Ruanaidh, actually means "descendent of the champion". Trivia note: the most famous Rooney, Mickey Rooney, was originally born Joseph Yule.

Rooney

Effie is the old-fashioned short form for Euphemia. It shares a vintage charm with Hattie and Letty although is much rarer than either. Effie is a character in The Hunger Games and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Effie

An alternative to the no-longer-fresh Molly, the initial 'P' gives Polly a peppier sound, combining the cozy virtues of an old-timey name with the bounce of a barmaid. 
 Associated with Tom Sawyer's aunt, 'Polly, put the kettle on,' parrots, Polly Peachum, Nirvana and Kinks songs, and the movie Along Came Polly, as well as characters in Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes, C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia and now on the Netflix show Orange is the New Black, Polly never achieved the comeback that her cousin did, perhaps because she sounds too Pollyanna-ish. 
 
Although she has been off the Social Security list for decades, Polly sits in the middle of the Nameberry's own Top 1000. We'd love to see some new baby Pollys!

Polly

Coco came to prominence as the nickname of the legendary French designer Chanel (born Gabrielle) and has lately become a starbaby favorite, initially chosen by Courteney Cox for her daughter Coco Riley in 2004. At first it was the kind of name that the press loves to ridicule, but we predict Coco's heading for more broad acceptance and even popularity.

Coco

Sixties-style short form that sounds cool again -- though the unscrupulous Pete on "Mad Men" is not a character to emulate.

Pete

Though as a formal name Rusty is a little, well, rusty, it spent half a century among the Top 1000, departing only in 1995. Only 45 baby boys received the name in the US in one recent year and it's difficult to imagine it as the winning choice of many modern parents. Whether you want an informal name or a spin on a traditional name or even a word name or a name that means red, there are simply too many better options.

Rusty

Roxy, also spelled Roxie, is one of those high-stepping showgal names with plenty of moxie, among the many sassy nickname names on the U.K. popularity list--currently Number 398.
 The fictional character Roxie Hart has had a long and interesting life, beginning with the 1926 play Chicago, then a silent film, a 1942 hit movie starring Ginger Rogers, a 1975 Broadway musical with Gwen Verdun as Roxie, plus the 2002 movie Chicago, with Renee Zellweger playing the part.
 Other Roxys have appeared on Hannah Montana and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Roxy

One of the most feminine of surname names, calling to mind dresses and doilies, though it was once used for boys too. The spelling Lacey is currently more popular, while Lacie has been a favorite in the UK.

Lacy

Oona is a name made famous by Eugene O'Neill's daughter, who became Charlie Chaplin's wife. One of the original Oona's granddaughters was named after her, and is now an actress famous in her own right for playing Talisa of Volantis in HBO's "Game of Thrones." The double-o beginning gives their name a lot of oomph.
 In Irish legend, Una/Oona was a daughter of a king of Lochlainn. The name was very popular in Ireland in the Middle Ages, and is currently seeing a comeback--also spelled Oonagh.

Oona

Joining the likes of Coco and Fifi, Gigi has a style but some may feel it lacks substance. Model and TV personality Gigi Hadid (born Jelena) has likely drawn attention to this name, while designer Cynthia Rowley may have inspired parents to use it as a given name by choosing it for her daughter. 
 
A rising star in the UK and a Top 500 choice in the Netherlands, if you find it too cutesy for the birth certificate, you could use it as a nickname for Georgiana, Gabrielle, Ginevra, or Genevieve.

Gigi

Once upon a time, in the 1930s, Huey was a Top 250 name, given to nearly 500 babies in a singer year. Traditionally a nickname for Hugo, Hugh, or Hubert, Huey has been notably borne by actor and singer Huey Lewis and activist Huey P. Newton. 
 
Similar in sound to choices like Louie, Rudy, and Jude, Huey (and Hughie) have featured in the England and Wales Top 1000 in recent years, while Huey is the preferred US spelling, given to 42 boys in a recent count.

Huey

Uma is a sweet, strong name for a Hindu goddess... and a Hollywood one. But as popular as Uma Thurman is, other parents have not yet picked up on her name, making it a rarity.
 Uma is one of the more than one thousand appellations for the Hindu goddess Sakti, a fact that surely inspired the father of Ms. Thurman, a Columbia University professor of Eastern religion. Her middle name, Karuna, is equally unknown outside the Indian subcontinent.
 In Hebrew, Uma means "the nation," and is therefore sometimes used for girls born on Israeli Independence Day.
 
Chosen by content creator Sanne Poeze (Girl on Kicks) in 2026 for her daughter, Uma Glen.
 Uma shouldn't be confused with the similarly sounding Una, an ancient Irish name.

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. Regardless, it's possible that the up and coming trend toward old-fashioned nickname-names — think Maisie, Mamie, Millie — may give Minnie (all on its own, not as a short form of anything) a new moment in the sun. 
 
In fact, Minnie has already broken in to the England and Wales Top 1000 and as of 2023, it ranked at #444. Traditionally used as a short form of Wilhelmina, Minnie could also be used as a nickname for a variety of names, including Minerva, Martina, Marin, Mary, Hermione, Jasmine, and Araminta.
 
Minnie Driver (born Amelia) has given it some modern celeb cred and there have been characters named Minnie in Dickens's Little Dorrit and Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra. Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz classic, while "Minnie the Minx" (full name Hermione Makepeace) appears in the long-running British comic, The Beano.

Minnie

As a Japanese name, Suki has the sweet meaning "loved one". It's also an English diminutive of Susanna, making it a creative and modern way to honor a Susan in your life.

Suki

Lula has a firecracker personality, a singing and dancing extrovert. Interesting that Lulu was a Top 100 name when the Social Security list was born in 1880, but it's been sliding ever since and has not been in the Top 1000 for decades. Modern parents in love with Lulu might well reverse that trend.
 Lulu is the now grown daughter of musicians Edie Brickell and Paul Simon. In the Swinging London sixties, Lulu was a popular single-named Scottish singer--whose birth name was Marie.

Lulu

Lilo is the name of the spunky little Hawaiian girl character in the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch-- and is also Lindsay Lohan's nickname. Multi-cultural, it can be found in Hawaiian, German and Hebrew nomenclature
 
From its Hawaiian origins, Lilo could mean "generous", while from German, it means "God is my oath + freeman".

Lilo

Vivi is a short form of all the Vivian and Viveca forms that is sure to get a lot more attention now that a little Jolie-Pitt girl has been named Vivienne.

Vivi

Attractive British place-name with a sense of humor. Fun fact: John Wayne played five characters with the first or second name of Kirby. 

Kirby

Darling has history as an English surname, but it would most likely be read as a quirky and loving word name, a la Sweetheart or Honey.

Darling

Cute dogs need cute dog names. It's practically a rule!

? Well, Bella and Max, the two top names for dogs, definitely count as cute names for dogs. But more unique choices such as Emmy and Ernie might compete for the title as well.

 include Dottie, Juno, and Pippa. In addition to Max and Ernie, other 

 include Dewey, Monty, and Ozzy. Word names for dogs can be really cute, such as Bonnet, Cozy, and Otter.

If you're looking for cute names for dogs to suit your adorable dog or puppy, consult our extensive roster here.

Cute dog names including Zoey, Ziggy, and other cute names for dogs, with meaning, origin, and popularity (Page 7)