Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
Hebrew
"not exalted"
Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Hebrew Book of Kings, has long had a bad girl reputation. But in the modern secular world, this is somewhat mitigated by the feminist perspective of her as a…
Jory as a feminine name is an intriguing choice with several possible origins. It may be a feminine adaptation of the masculine Jory, which itself can be a variant of George (meaning "farmer"), a…
Persian
"tall, strongly-built, brave"
Used in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, this strong-sounding name belonged to a hero in Persian legend. Its derivation is unclear, but the consensus seems to be that it…
English word name
"a day of religious observance and abstinence from work"
Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son. But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which…
Word name
Weapon-related names like Saber have been on the rise in recent years. In 2014, ten baby boys in the US were named Saber and five Sabre. The name may also relate to the Arabic Sabir, though to…
Scandinavian
"stream, river"
Name with genuine roots that nevertheless feels synthetic.
Manding, Fula, Wolof, Serer
"happy, lucky"
Western African variation of Sa'id
Irish
"little dark one"
Kiernan Shipka, aka Sally Draper on Mad Men , brings this Irish surname into the girls' column. And, like Kieran and Tierney and Tiernan, it's one of the perfectly unisex baby names . Only 14 girls…
Sanskrit
"dark, black, blue"
Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.
Short form of Sidney, French
"Saint-Denis"
Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk…
German
"victorious protection"
The connection to Freud is a strong one, but this German name has a strong and interesting sound and great nickname potential: Ziggy, Iggy, Sim, Sid...
French
"springlike"
Although it has a sweet meaning, this name feels dated nowadays, like a fifties poodle skirt. Lavender may be a fresher alternative.
Literary name
The kind of potential baby name dads use to tease moms.
Spanish, diminutive of Lola and Dolores, Spanish
"lady of sorrows"
In Nabokov's notorious novel, Lolita is the pet name given by the pedophilic narrator, Humbert Humbert, to his victim: a young girl called Dolores and nicknamed Lola or Lo by her mother. Still, it…
German, Scandinavian diminutive of Charlotte
"free man"
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…
"releasing device; to initiate"
This name might be too, well, triggering.
Norwegian
"safe"
Sarah Palin spelled it Trig, as in the nickname for trigonometry, but Trygg is a genuine Norwegian word name for boys.
English variation of Ulrich and Wulfric, German
"rich and noble heritage; wolf power"
Also related to the word for wolf, this name has a first syllable that's not appealing to the American ear. Better ic-ending choices: Dominic, Frederic, Eric.
Hungarian and Dutch diminutive of Maria
"drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Robust and energetic with an even blend of spikiness and elegance, Mariska is a diminutive of Maria, notably used in Hungary and The Netherlands. Internationally, it was brought into the spotlight by…
English
"friend's farm"
See WYNTON.
