Pet Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 17 pages
of 17
Modern nickname
Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.
French
"ocean"
Oceane (oh-see-EN) has been one of the chicest names in France for several years, ranking in the French Top 50. This is a sophisticated name that could easily cross the ocean, and is much more…
Italian
"of Delphi"
Heard more often as a surname in Italy, its meaning has also been linked to the dolphin--which would make a cool nursery motif.
Latin
"water carrier"
Astrological name retains a hippielike Age of Aquarius feel.
Color name
One of the new color names that is catching on, invoking a calm, blue-green-sea feeling.
English word name
Icy baby names are currently hot, with names like Icelynn, Iceland, and Winter trending up for girls. Rapper Gucci Mane chose simple, streamlined Ice for his son 2020-born son, appropriately a winter…
English
"queen"
Wisecracking waitress name stuck in the luncheonette. Started as nickname for girls named Regina -- queen in Latin -- now mostly a canine choice.
"captain"
Sure, and we hope he has a good time playing with Buster and Buddy.
"gift of God"
A Dorothy nickname name with a measure of nostalgic charm. Kids will associate it with the funny fish character voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in the Pixar animated instant classic Finding Nemo .
American nickname
The original southern Good Ol' Boy.
"evil spirit; familiar spirit"
Demon is probably best left as an edgy nickname or chosen moniker than put on the birth certificate. Typically associated with evil or familiar spirits, it could also be considered an Ancient Greek…
Italian place-name
"pond, lake"
Laguna Beach is a famous California spot -- though there's "goonie" teasing potential.
Irish
"lad"
With the jaunty rhythm of other Irish surnames like Finnegan and Sullivan, plus the possibility for cool nickname Gil, this seems like a good candidate for the first name slot. It was the name of the…
Welsh
"maiden"
Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard…
Hebrew
"drawn from the water"
Feminine spin on Moses and European river name that's also the name of a wine.
Nature name
Usain Bolt chose Lightning as the middle name for his daughter — Olympia Lightning Bolt. Mainstream parents have taken a liking to Lightning as a boy name — it debuted on the charts in 2021, and was…
"my lady"
There's only one. Okay, two.
Swedish or Cornish
"fairy"
Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x. Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally…
Greek
"gold flower"
One of the rarest of the flower names, that of the blossom celebrated in Japan as a symbol of the sun and a possible object of meditation. One of the rare flower names counted among names for autumn…
Nessie is a feminine name with Scottish origins, most famously associated with the legendary Loch Ness Monster of Scottish folklore. It originated as an affectionate diminutive of Agnes (meaning…
