Pet Names · Dog Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 370 pages
of 370
English
"dweller at the rabbit lake"
A strong, distinctive surname with a quaint meaning and rugged air, Arledge is associated with American sports broadcaster, Roone Arledge. It may hold contemporary appeal thanks to its similarities…
French form of Emil
"friendly"
Might make a worthy masculine spin on either of the uber popular Emma or Emily.
Variation of Irja, Finnish
"peace"
Not to be confused with the Aria/Arya name family, Arja is a variation of Irja, which ultimately is derived from Irene.
Finnish, Spanish, and Hungarian diminutive of Samuel, Hebrew
"told by God"
A multicultural nickname for Samuel. The Spanish and Finnish variation is pronounced SAH-moo, while the Hungarian version is SHAW-moo.
Japanese
"warrior, knight"
Historically, the samurai were a professional warrior class in pre-industrial Japan, who would train from a young age to be highly skilled in archery, swordmanship, and fighting on horseback. It is…
Basque
"oak"
Basque soccer star Aritz Aduriz helped propel this distinctive name -- derived from "haritz," the Basque word for "oak" -- to the Top 100 Spanish baby names .
Spanish, from Latin
"sacred"
Sancha of Leon was an 11th century princess who became Queen of Spain after her brother was killed by Ferdinand I, whom she then married. A twisted tale indeed, but Sancha is one of those names that…
Spanish variation of Sancia
The forerunner of Cynthia is all but unknown these days, but deserving of import and revival.
Spanish variation of Santos
Name of nine provincial Spanish kings, but more likely to conjure up Sancho Panza, the hapless squire of Don Quixote.
Variation of Grainne, Irish
"the loved one or grain of corn"
In addition to being the appellation of an ancient grain goddess, this name was also borne by two mythic Irish figures, one of whom was betrothed to legendary chieftain Finn MacCool, the other the…
Spanish place-name
Moorish region and city in Spain that makes a melodic and unusual first name.
French variation of Alexandra, Greek
"defending men"
Sophisticated French choice. Or toxic petrochemical, as Ross on Friends famously joked when Rachel suggested it for their fictional daughter.
Irish
"grain or love"
Grainne is the Irish form of the name often Anglicized as Grania. It was the name of the ancient grain goddess and also of the fiancee of mythological hero Finn McCool and lover of Dermot, who was a…
Emmo is a masculine name with Germanic origins, functioning as a short form of names containing the element 'erm' or 'irm,' meaning 'whole' or 'universal.' It has historical usage particularly in…
Catalan
"refuge, shelter"
Catalan form of Amparo, found especially in Valencia.
Sanskrit
"triumphant"
This variation of the popular Indian name Sanjay was borne by a popular-against-all-odds American Idol contestant.
Dutch, diminutive of Susanne
"lily"
Sanne is hugely popular in the Netherlands, but almost unknown here; which makes it an interesting prospect for the parent in search of an unusual name. Pronounced sah-na, Sanne is in keeping with…
Georgian
"cohabitant; gold"
This Georgian name is of unclear meaning, but it may derive from Persian zar "gold".
Artist name
Passion for the Spanish painter Goya may transcend the difficulty of this name -- just don't say it in a Jewish community.
Greek mythology name
The name of the ship sailed by Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece is now more often used for starch, trucks, and heavy machinery.
