Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated October 2026
Across 11 pages
of 11
English word name
"turbulent, stormy"
Tempest is one of those names that could go either way. Cool, evocative modern word name? Or asking for trouble? Your call, but if you decide the former image is dominant, be warned that some people…
English, diminutive of Melvin
"council protector"
Though most Mels are playing pinochle with Murray and Morris, there was a notable Saint Mel. He is one of the earliest Irish saints, a nephew of St. Patrick. He became a priest, then built a great…
Nice sound, but double meaning -- shady glen or shady character.
"stormy"
Stormy and variations have always been more common among girls, but there's no reason you shouldn't use it for a son. Storm was historically more masculine, until the arrival of Stormi Webster.
English
"jet"
Although this is a legitimate name, most people would associate it with a line of Volkswagens -- you'd be better off choosing a Mercedes.
Irish
"black stranger"
An Irish surname possibility for those who like Daley, Royal, Dougal, and Dolan, though it may sound too much like doily to catch on for modern boys. Nevertheless, it was fairly well used in the 20th…
"prickle"
Rose and Briar are popular, and Hawthorn is cool – so why not the equally prickly Thorn? Add an E to give it a surnamey spin.
Sanskrit
"night"
Simple but sophisticated, Nisha is a pretty Sanskrit choice that hit the popularity charts in England in the late 1990s. The meaning "night" adds a slightly mystical element to name and it is a…
"clearing on a bank"
The Shirley of the 1950s. Shelley Winters was born a Shirley.
Diminutive of Maurice
"dark skinned"
Old-man name, soft as a fraying gray cashmere cardigan, that would be even cuter for a girl.
"a fabric characterized by a short soft dense warp pile"
Velvet is a name that couldn't possibly be softer or more luxuriant. Many people have fond memories of it via the character of Velvet Brown, played by the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet ,…
English surname, variation of Wild, English word name
"untamed; undomesticated, uncultivated"
Wilde is a bold choice that equally fits in to a number of contemporary name trends. It's a daring, outdoorsy word name; a surname-style choice; a literary honor name; and a sound-alike for more…
English, diminutive of Dorothy
Old-fangled nickname could make dot.com era short form or middle name.
Diminutive of Beatrix, Latin
"she who brings happiness"
A sassy, spunky name for the bold parent who doesn't remember Mrs. Ed Norton on The Honeymooners or who's into the nicknames-as-given-names trend sweeping the UK and returning to the US. Trixie is a…
Word name
Smoky variation of Hayes.
Bird name
From Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore , the story of a boy named Kafka -- crow in Czech.
Scottish, Irish
"marsh, thicket; fort; dark, black"
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a punch, but also has a endearing quality about it thanks to its similarity to the word care . Sometimes used as a short form of the more popular Kieran, it…
German form of Maurice
"dark-skinned"
The unusual-to-the-English-ear Moritz is a Top 25 name in Austria and a form of Maurice or Morris, which are modern variations of the ancient Roman Maurus. There were several early saints named…
Hebrew
"not exalted"
Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Hebrew Book of Kings, has long had a bad girl reputation. But in the modern secular world, this is somewhat mitigated by the feminist perspective of her as a…
"a day of religious observance and abstinence from work"
Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which…
