Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
Arabic
"peace"
Hawa is the Arabic equivalent of Eve in that it is the name used for the wife of first man Adam. More than 100 baby girls were named Hawa in the US last year.
English
"aristocracy"
A distinctive surname that, despite its meaning, has a cowboy swagger, a la Autry.
English word, virtue name
"honor"
A classic virtue name for girls stretching back to the Pilgrim times, in more recent years, Honor has become one of the unisex baby names with a near-even gender split. Rarely used on boys before the…
English Surname
"post messenger or cavalryman"
Some parents are choosing this popular boys name for their daughters (in the US there were well over 100 female Ryders born last year). Is it the connection to Winona that makes this feel somewhat…
Spanish form of Isidoros, Greek
"gift of Isis"
Another Spanish boys' name that relates to a goddess, the Egyptian Isis. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid.
"priest's meadow"
More universal than Elvis...and more conventionally attractive, too. Cindy Crawford used it for her son, though it's on the rise mainly for girls. The last time Presley ranked in the Top 1000 for…
Russian variation of George
Common Russian name familiarized here via cosmonaut Yury Gagarin and a character in Dr. Zhivago , but we don't see it ever gaining permanent resident status.
Greek
"lotus flower"
A flower name containing both beauty and power, Lotus has significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing purity, grace and spiritual growth — not to mention a familiar yoga position. In…
Short form of Charles, French
"free man"
Charley is, at this point, an old-fashioned spelling for the most popular short form of Charles, better known these days as Charlie. But Charley is a classic and relates more directly to Charles.…
French combination of Marie and Anne
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"
A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne , named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen. The…
Japanese, Indian, Native American
"happiness; good fortune; fort; allies, friends"
Concise and cool, Kota is a name with multiple origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well. As a Japanese name, Kota, also spelled Kōta and Kouta, is associated with good luck, joy,…
English word name
"an account of incidents or events"
An imaginative choice with an uptempo Cory/Rory/Tori sound, perfect for the child of a writer — or anyone with a good story to tell. Story has been finding some appreciation among celebs like…
"red meadow"
Radical Bradley. Radley is also the surname of one of the heroes of To Kill a Mockingbird . Boo Radley is a reclusive and mentally challenged neighbor who saves the Finch children.
Diminutive of Roberta or Barbara, English
"bright fame; foreigner"
A vintage short form of Roberta or Barbara, Bobbi fits into the boyish nicknames for girls renaissance. It's already ranked in the England and Wales Top 1000 in recent years. Barbara "Bobbi" Morse is…
Slavic
"great ruler, peaceful ruler, ruler of the world"
Vladimir is a cultured and deep-rooted Slavic name associated in this country with cultural figures including piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz and the author of Lolita , Vladimir Nabokov. The name…
French,pet form of Josephine, feminine of Joseph, Hebrew
"Jehovah increases"
One of the group of French 'ette'-ending names that emigrated to this country in the last century, though never as popular as some others, such as Claudette and Paulette--it did have a little…
Greek, diminutive of Artemios
"safe; butcher"
Best known as the the Greek Goddess of the hunt and the moon, Artemis could now be considered one of the few traditionally feminine names that are currently being used for boys. Alternatively though,…
Word name
Loyalty is one of the Modern Virtue Names rising precipitously for babies in recent years, used last year for nearly 300 children, about 85 percent of them girls. Loyalty may also owe some of its…
Literary invention
"son of all"
German author Michael Ende created the name Atreyu for the protagonist of his 1979 novel The Neverending Story . In the original German translation of the book, the hero was Atréju — Atreyu is the…
"driftwood"
Marlo first came to prominence as a perky, pretty nickname name that seemed to have been invented by or for Marlo Thomas, who was born Margaret. But Marlow and Marlowe are English surnames meaning…
