Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
English
"cliff near a heath"
Heathcliff is the name of the original passionate macho hero of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights , and also of the cartoon cat. It was chosen by fashionista Lucy Sykes for her son, and inspired the…
English variation of Robert
"bright fame"
All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one has the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association too. It may also be linked to philosopher Thomas Hobbes, giving it a more…
Word name and literary name
Everybody knows Huckleberry Finn, the Mark Twain character named, Twain said, for the 19th century slang term for "humble." A few modern parents have put it on a birth certificate, including "Man Vs.…
Welsh and Galician variation of James and Jacob
Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello , was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.
Greek
"mother's gift"
Medora is a Greek name much less common here than, say, Melanie or Melissa. It has some literary references, including as the beautiful and passionate heroine of Lord Byron's poem The Corsair, and in…
Japanese
"blessing"
An Asian name not widely known in the West.
Modern invented name
Australian opera singer Nellie Melba—self-named for her hometown of Melbourne—inspired this now-dated name more associated today with a peach dessert and dietetic toast.
"golden apple"
Euphonic hybrid of the sounds of Melissa and Laura. Melora Hardin is an actress who was featured on The Office.
Slavic
"peace, world"
Mirela is a name used in Romania and Croatia and is related to popular Mira.
Arabic
"source of light, beacon, torch"
A soft and sweet unisex Arabic name with an international sound, Mishal can also be spelled as Mishaal. British broadcaster Mishal Husain is a notable bearer.
"weasel"
The Japanese word for "weasel" was chosen as the name of Itachi Uchiha, a character in Naruto . In anime, name meanings often relate to a character's story. Weasels are bad luck in Japanese culture…
Welsh
"maiden"
Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard…
Hebrew
"God's miracle"
Too close to nausea.
Greek mythology name
The mythological queen whose perpetual weeping for her slain children turned her into a stone has always cast a pall over this name. Still, when other names with less-than-savory associations --…
Hindi, Hebrew, and Choctaw
"friendly, to plant, and bear"
One of those slender names, like Lena or Etta, that's used in several cultures and carries a range of meanings. But by being so many things, it doesn't feel decidedly like anything.
Irish, short form of Fionnuala
"white shoulders"
Officially a shortening of the traditional and tricky Gaelic Fionnghuala/Fionnuala, Nuala makes a lovely choice all on its own. Nuala is well-used in Ireland.
Swahili
"light, born during the day"
Related to the better-known Arabic name Noor.
Sanskrit
"lotus"
A name rich in Hindu tradition as the alternate name for the Goddess Lakshmi, the embodiment of beauty and charm; currently borne, appropriately, by model-actress-writer Padma Lakshmi.
Polish variation of George
"farmer"
Writer Jerzy Kosinski put this foreign variation on the U. S. name map.
"green bough"
Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden. A Greek mythological name of a woman who was turned into an almond tree, Phyllis was in the Top 100 from 1916 to 1958,…
