Pet Names · Dog Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
Literary name
The kind of potential baby name dads use to tease moms.
French
"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 .
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
Norse
"ancestor's relic"
Olaf, though sainted and regal in Norway, is slightly oafish here. It is one of those names that has become completely familiar in the U.S. without ever becoming assimilated. Now that he's a comical…
Greek
"reward, honor"
Kids would be more likely to associate this name with the hyperactive meercat in "The Lion King" than with the ancient Greek philosopher or Shakespearean character, which could cause playground…
Tod is a masculine name of German and English origin, meaning 'death' in German or functioning as a short form of the names Theodore ('gift of God') or Todhunter. Despite its somewhat grim German…
Fictional name
Yzma is the iconic and hilarious antagonist of the Disney film, The Emperor's New Groove. The name may come from the Arabic Izma, meaning greatness, might, and importance, but the true origin is…
Welsh
"river melody"
Eilonwy is a rare and poetic Welsh name first recorded in the late 19th century and used by Lloyd Alexander for his novel series The Chronicles of Prydain . The character appeared in Disney's…
Pepa is a feminine diminutive of Josefa or Josephine, ultimately derived from the Hebrew name Joseph meaning 'God will add.' Popular in Spanish and Czech-speaking cultures, Pepa offers a warm,…
Latin
"lost"
A Shakespearean invention for an abandoned baby in The Winter's Tale , Perdita's sense of loss has always been off-putting to parents. But her image was somewhat resuscitated by its association with…
Odie is a charming feminine name that often functions as a diminutive for names like Odette, Odelia, or Odessa, though it has also gained usage as an independent name. With Greek roots, it's related…
"nobody"
One of the best known early Nemos was the captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea , while the more familiar modern one is the animated little orange fish in the Disney movie. Unusual name…
"little ash-girl"
One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
The name of the young hero of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book , who was raised by wolves (really) and becomes a genius hunter and trapper, was chosen as a middle name for their son Bronx (really,…
"great"
In Greek mythology, Megara was the first wife of Heracles (Hercules); the character of Megara "Meg" in the Disney film is loosely based on her. It’s also a place name in Greece and Sicily. Read more…
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Meg, perennially one of the Little Women, is a Margaret short form that manages to be neither quite in nor quite out of style. Meg is sleeker and more sophisticated than Maggie, more contemporary…
French place-name and surname
Creative choice, evoking the high-kicking can-can girls and other colorful figures in the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.
Jaq is a compact, modern variant of Jack or Jacques, characterized by its minimalist spelling. This streamlined version maintains the friendly, approachable quality of its more common counterparts…
Arabic, Nature name, popular culture
"gift, present; ant"
Multicultural and unisex, Atta has an appealing symmetrical look, and sounds similar to the popular Etta, Atlas, and Atticus. Some may recognize the name from the 1998 Pixar movie, A Bug's Life ,…
"imagination"
One of the more prominent by-products of reality TV, via Disney.
