Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
English
"noble friend; friend of the elves"
Archie, Albie, and Alfie are coming back into style, so naturally, we think Alvie could be next. Alternate spelling Alvy was used by Woody Allen for his character in Annie Hall .
German
"noble friend, friend of the elves"
Softer, milder, and sans chipmunk references, Alwin is a likable alternative to Alvin. Win makes a nice nickname.
Short form of Rebecca
Modern, mini nickname for Rebecca, much fresher than Becca or Becky.
French
"jewel"
Bijou is a name that lives up to its definition -- a real jewel. Warning: not unheard of on poodles' dog collars. Actress Bijou Phillips is its best known bearer. It can also be spelled Bijoux.
English word name
"bright"
Bright is a rare yet intriguing word name used for a female character in Ann Patchett's novel The Dutch House.
Greek
"from the east, rising sun"
Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more…
Irish
"love, friendship"
Connelly is a rollicking and rare example of the popular surname genre that may work even better for girls. A huge update on Colleen.
English, French, Latin
"waxing or waning moon; increasing, growing, springing forth"
Crescent is an intriguing word name with a pretty sound and links to the moon. Used to describe a curved shape more generally, it is heavily associated with the lunar calendar, with the moon forming…
Variation of Dalia, Spanish, or Georgian
"dahlia"
In Georgian mythology, Dali is the goddess of hunting. The origins of her name are disputed — some scholars claim it comes from the Georgian word for morning, dila , while others claim links to words…
Israeli surname; Japanese
"son of the chemist; I'm about to win"
Atari the baby name is directly correlated with Atari the company. It joined the baby name charts in 1979 when the popular video game Space Invaders was released. It was given to small numbers of…
Color name
"deep reddish-brown"
A strong, warm name and a strong warm color. Would make an excellent alternative to August or Aubrey.
French surname
"noble strength"
Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the…
"gift of God"
A Dorothy nickname name with a measure of nostalgic charm. Kids will associate it with the funny fish character voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in the Pixar animated instant classic Finding Nemo .
"eleven"
If Erykah Badu can name her son Seven, why can't you name your daughter (or son) this? Eleven has recently gotten a lot of attention via the character on the TV show Stranger Things .
English variation of Barnabas, Aramaic
"son of consolation"
Barnaby, a genial and energetic name with an Irish-sounding three-syllable lilt, is an ancient appellation that manages to be both unusual and highly attractive and deserves to be used more than it…
Variation of Barnabas
"son of comfort"
The name Barney is hot among hip Londoners and it has been above the Top 500 in the UK since 2012. You can see why - it's got a friendly happy sound and a lovely meaning and is more easily worn than…
"elf friend"
Sounds elven in every sense of the word.
Nature name
If not for Motown founder Berry Gordy, this name would now be totally in the girl group.
British surname
"homestead at a hollow"
Bingham is the unusual surname name chosen by Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy for their son. It was Bellamy's mother's maiden name, and the nickname Bing, coincidentally, belongs to almost-stepfather…
Tree name
Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree. The best known bearer of the name is former high-ranking Democratic Senator…
