6000+ Dog Names

Lainie is a nickname for Elaine that has been in the public eye via Lainie Kazan (that was her full given name), who was a popular singer in the 1960s and 1970s (she was Barbra Streisand's understudy in "Funny Girl"), and then became a motherly character actress. We still find Lainie a bit flimsy for a full first name.

Mamie is back. Having finally shorn her Mamie Eisenhower bangs, this insouciant and adorable nickname name is perfect if you want a zestier way to honor a beloved aunt Mary. Meryl Streep's actress daughter, properly named Mary Willa, is called Mamie Gummer. You might think of Mamie as a sister of the stylish Maisie.

The name of the main protagonist of Avatar: The Last Airbender was coined for the movie from Chinese characters meaning "peaceful" and "rise; raise". Aang is also used as a given name in Indonesia, where it derives from akang — a word used to refer to one’s elder brother or one of his peers.

A word name with fashionable o-ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago.

A rising vintage sweetheart for girls and a fresh new possibility for boys, following the likes of Nova. The name first became fashionable in England following the Battle of Alma – named for the Russian river – during the Crimean War. It derives from anima, the Latin for "soul", and has the same meaning in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

There's a football player called Pepper (born Thomas and given the childhood nickname for sprinkling pepper on his cereal) Johnson -- but the name has yet to make waves for boys. Given to around 5 boys each year, the musical link to The Beatle's album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club might appeal to some.

One of the coolest new word names we've discovered lately — Coast conjures up images of big waves, beach days, and expansive shorelines.

In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Caliban is the name of the deformed son of a witch: not the greatest literary reference for a child. But Caliban does have an appealing international-yet-accessible feel and a rhythmic sound. As long as nobody knows its origin, it might make a great name for a boy or even a girl.

Krishna is the name of the supreme Hindu god that is still considered secular enough for mortal children and is often found in Hindu families, for both boys and girls.

This fragrant, almond-scented name has hardly been heard in this country, which is a pity--we've loved it since John Malkovich used it for his now grown daughter.

Tesla, the surname of Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla that has more recently been used as the brand name for an electric car, is gaining some use as a first name for girls. Exactly 100 girls were named Tesla in the U.S. last year. You might think of the name as a Tessa/Isla hybrid, though with Tesla the s is not silent. There was also a rock band named Tesla.

This attractive multicultural name is found in India and Finland, where it is also a word meaning "frost."

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, grabbed her own share of headlines after her pregnancy and having appearing on Dancing With The Stars. She subsequently (almost) single-handedly propelled her distinctive name, derived from the name of a city in England, into the Top 1000 and up the charts.

This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.

The beguiling Darya is the name of a character in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. As a Russian name, it's a spelling variation of Daria, while in Iran, it's a girl's name that means "the sea".

Authors or Francophiles – or both – could consider this zippy name in honor of renowned French writer Émile Zola, author of Germinal, Thérèse Raquin and the infamous open letter J'Accuse...!.

Strong, straight, and leafy, one of the new tree names used mostly as middles.

An appealing Asian name with a nickname feel.

Jason with a K or Kase with an N or Karson without the R. Kason is one of many similar names that are extremely popular right now.

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient name was brought into modern usage by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who used it as one of the middle names for his fourth child (a daughter).