Pet Names · Dog Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
English
"desired; or water, island"
Variant of Evelyn
"of the sea"
A retro short form of Marina, dated to the era of the Hitchcock movie that made it famous, Marnie is beginning to feel fresh again — or rather, it is in the UK. Appearing in the Top 100 there in a…
Variation of Mary
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Adds a modern spin to old-fashioned Mary.
Japanese
"sky"
A smart and simple unisex Japanese name meaning "sky". It actually has a second nature meaning in Finnish, albeit a slightly less appealing one: "gravel".
Welsh
"sea fortress"
This name of the famous fifth-century sorcerer and mentor of King Arthur may or may not be a bit wizardy for a real-life modern child. Its most noted modern bearer: football star turned actor Merlin…
Spanish
"small river"
Short and feminine, Ria has a rhythmic flow.
French derivative of Mary
Fun fact: Marion was the birth name of movie star John Wayne. Although commonly thought of as a female name today, it was actually more popular for boys until the late 19th century, and was given to…
French from German
"desired; or island, water"
Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root. Although…
German
An unusual and appealing name that is the origin of Evelyn, via the Norman French name Aveline. It derives from an obscure Germanic root, the meaning of which is not clear. Theories include "desired,…
Turkish
"sea"
A super popular nature name in its native Turkey, currently Top 50 for both boys and girls there.
Color name
Among the coolest of the cool color names, particularly popular with celebs as a unisex middle name. While most famous as the name of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy, more than 60 percent of…
Spanish, combination of Maria and Celia, Hebrew, Latin
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + heaven"
A pretty and little-known Spanish smoosh name, combining Maria with Celia. As such, it may have a number of meanings. On one hand, it could simply be interpreted as meaning "Maria of the Heavens",…
Spanish diminutive of Maria
Used especially in Latin America, this would make a funky spin on Maria. The meaning of Maria is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea");…
Hindi
"ocean"
This popular Indian name is heard in the US. Bollywood actor Akshay Khanna has a son named Arnav.
"blue"
Blu is a new (nu?) spelling of an increasingly popular color name, also spelled Blue and Bleu. Blu is the spelling used for one of the Waldrop sextuplets.
Greek
"gift of the ocean"
Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the…
English, Hawaiian
"pure; sea of joy"
In English, Kailea is an unusual variant spelling of Kayley or Kaylee. In Hawaiian, Kaileʻa means "sea of joy". Kailea is one of hawaii's top baby names for girls.
Place name
"river by a field"
As all good Anne of Green Gables buffs would know, Avonlea is the fictional Canadian town created by L. M. Montgomery that Anne Shirley considers home. The literary creation inspired a real Canadian…
Azul is the Spanish word for "blue" and was first recorded as a baby name (for girls) in 1995. It's technically considered unisex today, although it is still much more common as a feminine name.
French
The Frenchified color name Bleu is notable in baby-naming history as the then-outrageous middle name of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's daughter Ella, born in 2000. Perhaps because blue is…
