Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
English
"someone who lives in a hollow; strong and hearty"
This name projects a sense of well-being, as in "hale and hearty", while also having a nature-adjacent meaning, referring to someone who lives near a hollow, a nook, or a remote area of land. Rhyming…
English surname
"deer ford"
British habitational surname that calls to mind the Connecticut capital
English word name
"the season for gathering in agricultural crops"
Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, though it tips a bit in the girls' direction in the contemporary US. Given the rise of such…
Irish
"little champion"
Stronger and more contemporary twist on Carla or Carly, Carlin was used just about equally for girls and boys in the US last year.
Short form of Cecelia, Latin
"blind"
Cece, all by itself, gained notice as the nickname of Jim and Pam's baby on television's The Office . On the show as in real life, Cece is often short for Cecelia or even Cecilia, but it can also be…
French
"cherry"
Infinitely preferable to the tease-inspiring English version of the word.
Sanskrit
"possessing drops of rain"
In the ancient Hindu religion, Indra is the warrior god of sky and rain. The vowel ending could make it sound feminine to the English speaker, though Ezra and Luca work just fine, so why not Indra?
"boar friend"
Son of Irving.
Icelandic
"iceberg"
Visually similar to Jack and Jacob, but with a refreshing Nordic origin and literally ice-cool meaning.
French, diminutive of Esther or Estelle, Hebrew
"star"
Estée, with or without an accent, is most famously associated with cosmetics entrepreneur Estée Lauder, whose birth name was actually Josephine Esther Mentzer. The name is believed to be a stylized…
German
"peace"
Freda, along with near-identical twin sisters Frida and Frieda, has not been popular in the US for decades. After the two world wars, German names fell out of favor in the US and UK. The…
"strength of a spear"
Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T. , revive the long shunned Gertrude? It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked…
Juanito is the affectionate Spanish diminutive of Juan, which is the Spanish equivalent of John. The name John originates from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious." Juanito literally…
Italian variation of Guinevere or Jennifer
"white shadow, white wave"
Arty and elegant, Ginevra is one of the most popular girls' names in Italy at the moment, ranking at #3 in a recent year. Ultimately from the Arthurian Guinevere, it's a relative of Jennifer, meaning…
African place-name or Japanese
"the god of the waters"
Pleasing crossover possibility.
"month name"
Most things Jul-related – from the month of July to popular modern names Julia and Julian – originate with Roman emperor Julius Caesar, and the month name July is no exception. Fifteen girls and…
Greek
"cinnamon"
Kassiani, also spelled Kasiani or Cassiane, is an ancient Greek name best known as the name of a saint famous as a hymnographer. The Hymn of Kassiani, traditionally sung on Tuesday of Easter Week in…
Japanese
"happy child"
Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.
"sunbeam"
In Nepal, India and Pakistan, Kiran is used for both boys and girls - as can be seen from internationally acclaimed (female) author Kiran Desai and (male) Nepali soccer player Kiran Chemjong.…
"natural, physical world"
An all-encompassing nature name, Nature has seen surprising take up for girls in recent years, with more than 270 given the name in the first half of the 2020s. For boys, it has remained rare, given…
