Pet Names · Dog Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
English
"Charles' town"
A surname name, most popularly associated with actor Heston, has a blue-blooded ring to it. Charlton is also a more unusual pathway to evergreen nickname Charlie.
Diminutive of Frances, English from Latin
"from France; free man"
As this word is less often used to mean derriere, it becomes more possible to view Fanny as the kind of appealingly quaint nickname name, like Josie and Nellie, that many parents are favoring now.
German
"eagle"
This common German-Jewish surname is a fast riser among boys but lately has been picked up by parents of girls as well. Notable figures with the surname include designer Jonathan Adler, Freud…
Arabic, Spanish
"swooping eagle, meadow"
This striking name has a lot going for it: it's a self-confident Spanish surname, it identifies one of the most brilliant stars in the sky, and it has a musical reference to singer-songwriter Suzanne…
African
"free man"
This name from the Igbo language of Africa, which feels like the more-familiar Arabic Ahmad, might be an original and attractive choice.
Latin
An evocative ancient word that's used as a first name in the New Testament, among other places. It's also the name of an eagle-shaped constellation. That said, contemporary interest in the name…
Diminutive of Charles
So far out it's almost ready to be let back in.
Diminutive of Frances
Old fashioned nickname that some girls just might be able to pull off. You'd just have to be sure your little Fancy was one of them.
Diminutive of Spanish Francisco
"Frenchman or free man"
Shortening Francisco somehow makes it sound even cooler. Cisco is also the name of a digital security company.
Francie is one of the most neglected nicknames for Frances, despite having more style value than Franny and Fanny and being more unique than Frankie. We'd love to see it get more use, whether as a…
German, Scandinavian diminutive of Charlotte
Lotte is a short form of Charlotte and a name used in its own right in Scandinavia as well as Dutch- and German-speaking countries. It’s unlikely to catch on in the US, where even Lottie hasn’t…
Irish, variant of Diarmaid/Dermot
"without injunction, without envy"
Kermit was a Top 500 name until the 1960s, not coincidentally the decade in which Kermit the Frog made it a one-person (well, one-frog) name. Derived from the Irish surname Mac Diamada, itself from…
Diminutive of Charles, French from German
Retro nickname for Charles that has the potential for revival, a la Hal, Ike, and Gus. Ben Stiller played the high-strung but devoted Chas Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson’s 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums .
Turkish and Uzbek
"free, independent"
Erkin is an Uzbek vocabulary word from Old Turkic, and is widely used as a unisex name in Turkey. In English-speaking countries, it is unknown but straightforward and with a great meaning.
Though this is traditionally a male name, it can work for a girl in our culture. Might also be considered a short form of the Italian Amadea.
English feminization of Carl or Charles, German, French
A handful of baby girls are still named Carlene every year, but today other feminizations of Charles or Carl, from Carly to Charlotte, are much more popular.
"free landholder"
When Frankie meets Brooklyn, what happens? You get Franklin, a Presidential name used almost exclusively for boys up until now. But parents who want an out-of-the-box long form for popular nickname…
Latin, diminutive of Frances
"from France or free man"
If Frances and Fran are too serious for you, and Fanny too saucy, you might like Franny, still identified by some with J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey stories.
Hebrew
"sparrow; freedom"
An uncommon Hebrew name that can still sometimes be heard in Jewish communities.
