Cool Dog Names

Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.
 'The Lark' was used as a nickname for Cosette in Les Miserables; Lark Voorhees was a star of Saved by the Bell, and Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany used Lark as the middle name of their daughter Agnes.
 
The expression "happy as a lark" gives this songbird name a cheery image, as well as a 'lark' being a synonym for a merry time..
 Larkin is a pretty extension, as is Skylark, which is rich in cultural associations: there's the Percy Bysshe Shelley ode To a Skylark and the jazz classic Skylark written by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael..

Lark

Has a lively and swaggering sound, and also some unfortunate associations with Reno, city of gambling and failed marriages. 

Reno

A saint's name with a noteworthy literary background, including uses by Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing, by Ben Johnson, Walter Scott, Longfellow, D. H. Lawrence and Neil Gaiman. In real life, her two most well known representatives are writer Ursula Le Guin and actress Ursula Andress. In literature, there is also Ursula Iguaran, a key, long-lived character in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's major work, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
 Caveat: Today's kids might associate this name with the campy, corpulent octopus in Disney's The Little Mermaid.
 Ursula ranked in the Top 1000 through 1983. Time for a comeback?

Ursula

The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories.
 Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, and Lucius might be a preferable choice if you know anything about ancient Roman history.

Nero

Dex, the nickname for Dexter that is sometimes used on its own, has lots of energy and dynamism. It was chosen by comedian Dana Carvey for his now grown son. With the growing popularity of Dexter, we may be seeing more of Dex.
 There are no less than three video game characters named Dex, and the leading male figure in the movie One Day is known by his nickname Dex. Way back in TV's Dynasty era, there was a character redundantly named Dex Dexter.

Also spelled Macsen, this ancient name manages to sound modern and cool.  An heroic namesake was Maxen Wledig, a fourth century Spanish-born general who led the Roman army out of Britain, and as Emperor was the most powerful occupant of the throne of the Caesars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven Hills. 

Maxen

Ezra is a Biblical name that is being rediscovered, which means its variation Ezri can't be far behind. Ezri is one of the up-and-coming <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/unisex-names/e">unisex names starting with E</a>, with the gender divide surprisingly running five to one in favor of girls.

Ezri

Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example. 
Hawk is more commonly heard as a surname, represented by uber-skateboarder Tony Hawk, a pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding. Variations include Hawke, as in actor Ethan, Hawks, as in Golden Age movie director Howard, Hawking, as in scientist Stephen, and Hawkins, as in musicians Coleman, Screamin' Jay and Sophie B, and was recently given to his baby boy by quarterback Tony Romo. 

There have been characters named or nicknamed Hawk in The Revenant, The Path and Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. Hawk flirts with the lower reaches of the Nameberry Top 1000, and was given to about 40 baby boys in the US last year, the same number as were called Homer and Hardy.

Hawk

Nani is a multicultural feminine name with origins spanning several traditions. In Hawaiian, it means 'beautiful' or 'glory,' while it can also be a shortened form of names like Danielle or Natalie in Western cultures. In Hindi and Sanskrit, Nani affectionately refers to a maternal grandmother, adding a warm familial connection. This short, melodic name has gained appeal in diverse communities for its simplicity and positive associations. The name's brevity makes it accessible across languages and cultures, while its various meaningful connections give it depth. Nani's contemporary sound fits well with modern naming trends favoring short, distinctive names with cross-cultural resonance. Its gentle tone and positive meanings contribute to its growing popularity.

Nani

Rafa is an adorable short form introduced to the world by actors Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale, who used the name for their second son. Rafael is the Latin cognate of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/490/hebrew-names-for-boys">Hebrew boys' name</a> Raphael, but you don't need to be a Rafael to be a Rafa.

Rafa

Ilsa is remembered as the radiant but tragic heroine of "Casablanca," and it's having something of a European resurgence. 

Ilsa

Remus is one of the legendary twins who, with brother Romulus, founded Rome.  An unusual yet classic name for the extremely adventurous who can put aside the stereotyped image of Uncle Remus.  Though because of that "ream" first syllable, we prefer Romulus.

Remus

For the parent who might also have Buck and Ryder on his list. 

Bronco

Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat. Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that forms the foundation of many gravies or sauces. Most of today's children with this name, pronounced roo, will actually spell it Rue, for the female character in The Hunger Games.

Roux

With other bird names such as Lark and Phoenix on the rise, why not chirpy Sparrow? Nicole Richie and Joel Madden named their son, born in 2009, Sparrow James Midnight.

Sparrow

Short and to-the-point, it turns an ancient biblical name into a friendly cowboy. 

Gatsby is one of the most famous literary surnames, borne by the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The book's Jay Gatsby gussied up his surname from Gatz, whose meaning is given variously as left-handed, cat, God, and person from Gat. As a first name, it's got a lot of energy and that great literary pedigree.

Gatsby

X marks the spot in names these days, usually at the middles or ends of names, but here is one that puts it squarely up front.
 This extravagant name, which, like many Greek names beginning with X, is pronounced as if it were a Z in English, is derived from the Greek word for the color yellow. A Homeric epithet of Demeter, Xanthe would be a striking choice, thanks to its "golden" meaning.
 
A consistent member of the UK Top 1000 since 2005, Xanthe was chosen by the social media star Emily Clarkson in 2024.

Xanthe

Originally a surname deriving from the Roman twin Romulus, this attractive name was introduced to the English-speaking world as a first name by painter Augustus John who used it for his son. Romilly John became Admiral of the Fleet in England. 
 A French surname from the twelfth century on, it's more recently been heard as a girls' name. Emma Thompson, for example, used Romilly as her daughter Gaia's middle name. And Romilly was used in the US last year for a dozen baby girls.
 The logical nicknames would be Romy or Milly, both very much in style.

Romilly

The version with the e at the end relates to novelist Nathaniel, so that may be the one most parents attracted to this unusual name would choose.  Hawthorn nudges it toward the nature category: Hawthorn is a type of hedge.

Hawthorn

Cool dog names go beyond Bella and Max. These 

 may be on trend, or they may be completely off of most people's radars, but regardless these names exude a cool factor that will make your dog stand out in a crowd.

 may include nature names like Aspen and Clover, mythological names like Juno and Freya, or hipster names like Daphne and Billie. 

 include fast-rising favorites like Enzo and Ozzy, animal names like Sparrow and Wolf, and badass dog names like Blaze and Zeppelin. 

If you're looking for cool names for your puppy or dog, consult this list.

Cool names for dogs, including cool hipster trendy badass names for male female girl and boy dogs and puppies (Page 27)

570+ Cool Dog Names