Pet Names · Dog Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 18 pages
of 18
English
"dweller at the old cottage"
Alcott evokes shades of nineteenth-century New England, and memories of the author of the books Little Women and Little Men . Louisa May Alcott was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, noted…
Place-name
The Alhambra, which means "red city," is in Granada, Spain. British writer Ali Smith used it for a character in her novel The Accidental .
Latin, literary name
"like just-born infants do"
The name of the protagonist of The Hunchback of Notre Dame does not translate well into real life. Quasimodo comes from the Latin phrase used in Christian texts, "Quasi modo geniti infantes", meaning…
"female goat"
Cheever has a nice, cheery sound, literary ties to novelist and short writer John Cheever and also, sideways, to the Edward Arlington Robinson narrative poem "Miniver Cheevy," as well as a subliminal…
Greek
"joy"
This name was used by Shakespeare (who got it from Plutarch) in Antony and Cleopatra for one of the attendants of the Egyptian queen. An interesting possibility, it is heard occasionally in the UK,…
French, Saint Léger
Fervent fans of The Catcher in the Rye might want to consider this as a literary tribute. More mainstream alternative: Holden.
Literary name
"modest, reverent"
The name of the enslaved girl in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo , this literary name sounds a little like a modern invention. However, it is in fact related to another time-honored literary heroine…
English place name
No matter how much you love the novels of Papa H., don't saddle your son with this unwieldy appellation.
"sacred name"
A name used in Germany and Holland as a form of Jerome, it's the unlikely moniker of fictional detective Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch.
English surname
A possibility for fans of the mystery writer, but most parents would prefer Dashiell.
English surname name
"friendly"
The surname of enterprising journalist Nellie Bly and poet Robert Bly makes a simple, modern, and upbeat sounding choice for either a boy or a girl.
Irish
"glutton"
Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…
Word name
Toni Morrison, a master of character naming, coined this one for the best friend of hero Milkman Dead in Song of Solomon . Definitely a cool choice, with a twang.
Diminutive of Japheth
"he expands"
Japhy Ryder was a hero of Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums . Compared with Moses and Noah, Japhy sounds downright adorable and eminently baby-worthy.
Name of pastoral Vermont town and college sounds too stiff and starchy.
Variant spelling of Jessamine
"jasmine flower"
An alternative spin on Jasmine and Jessica, Jessamyn is a spelling variation of floral Jessamine, with just a little less frill. Notable bearers include writer Jessamyn West, wrestler Jessamyn Duke,…
"wedge-shaped object"
Surname from a landscape feature, associated with author Gore Vidal and Bill Clinton's Vice President Al Gore. Its alternative meaning - as in gory - may explain why it's never made it into the…
Medieval form of Julian
"youthful"
Galsworthy used this for "The Forsyte Saga," but in modern real life Julian would work better.
English occupational name
"bellows maker"
Might be an honorific for novelist Saul Bellow, although bellowing is not the gentlest of sounds. Consider Saul instead.
"bee"
An Anglicized derivative of the Gaelic name Beatha, meaning "life," best known as the surname of Irish playwright Brendan Behan.
