Dog Names · Pet Names
By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
Spanish, “little wolf”
This lively pet name has recently been associated with Mexican-born Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o, acclaimed for her role in the 2013 film Twelve Years a Slave . The mother name Guadalupe, literally…
French
"young wolf"
Lowell is an upstanding and somewhat conservative name that calls to mind the genteel patrician families of nineteenth century New England, such as the one poet Robert Lowell was born into. Two other…
German
"famous wolf"
Sure, he'd probably get a certain amount of red-nosed teasing around the holiday, but a boy named Rudolph could probably take it. Besides, he's got other, more distinguished namesakes -- the great…
Feminine diminutive of Randolph
"shield-wolf"
A relic of the midcentury Mandi-Sandi-Andi era.
German, short form of Rudolph
Rudy hasn't yet enjoyed the comeback of cousin name Ruby, despite having been chosen by hip couple Sadie Frost and Jude Law, but it still could happen. Rudy has a lot going for it as a…
Feminine of Lovell
"wolf"
Lovella is most likely a feminine variation on Lovell, a surname. While it feels one of the invented-yet-antiquated girls' names , has the obvious attraction of containing the word "love" within it,…
Animal name
"fox"
The name of an adorably small, big-eared fox native to Africa would make an inspired choice for a little boy -- though confusion with Hunger Games name Finnick is all but certain. Given the rise of…
English
Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which,…
Hebrew or Estonian
"dog, or ancestor of the Finns"
Biblical Hebrew form of Caleb, which means "dog", or possibly "whole heart". Kalev is also the Estonian form of the Finnish name Kaleva, from an ancient demonym of unknown derivation.
Arabic; English
"compassionate; wolf counsel"
Raif (or Raef, Rayif) is a Muslim name usually given in reference to the Qur’anic verse "God is most compassionate and most merciful to mankind." A notable bearer is Saudi writer, dissident and…
Serbian
This striking mini-name comes with a fierce animal edge — vuk is the Serbian word for "wolf".
Diminutive of Ralph
"wolf-counsel"
Ralphie is one of those short forms that have been out of style for so long it just might have a chance of coming back in, if you can get past seeing it as a desperate attempt to cute-ify a stodgy…
Irish Gaelic
"little wolf"
Properly spelled with a fada in Gaelic (Faolán), this name is the origin of the Irish surname Phelan. It derives from the Gaelic fáel "wolf", plus a diminutive suffix, making this a handsome hidden…
Latin form of Rolf
Rollo is a livelier, roly-poly, o-ending version of Roland. Although it sounds modern, Rollo actually was seen regularly on Latin documents in the Middle Ages, though not heard in everyday speech.…
Irish
"small dog"
A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".
Hungarian tree name, Hindi, Sanskrit, Japanese
"Dogwood tree; elixir, to extract; sound of the wind + genuine"
Popular in Hungary, but rare elsewhere, Soma is a botanical boy name, relating to the dogwood tree, notable for its white blooms and red twigs. Pronounced as SHO-maw, it ranked at #36 in its native…
Cherokee
"black fox"
One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.
Old English
"bee wolf"
This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf , which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his…
Variation of Rudy, German
Rudy has been heard as a feminine name before — most notably on Rudy Huxtable, the young girl on The Cosby Show . This spelling makes it a bit girlier, although it's occasionally used for boys as…
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.
