Dog Names · Pet Names
Dog Names That Mean Dog
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Madigan
Irish
"little dog"
A jovial and jaunty Irish name, the title of a long-gone TV crime drama, this would make an appealing choice. Slight downside: Maddy is already a mega-popular nickname for Madeline/Madelyn and…
Madigan
Irish
"little dog"
An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.
Madyn
Irish
"small dog"
A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".
Madyn
Irish
"small dog"
A variant of Madden or Madigan, cool surnames which ultimately derive from the Irish Gaelic word for "dog".
Mcenroe
Scottish
"hound of the promontory"
Scottish and Irish Mac and Mc surnames are definitely up for consideration, and this one has sports cred via its link to tennis champ John. It was one of the fastest-rising names on Nameberry in…
Nashoba
Choctaw, Native American
"wolf"
A fierce nature name which could give cool short form Nash.
O'connor
Irish
"son of the hound lover"
Perfect name for the child of dog enthusiasts, and much more distinctive than the trendy Connor.
Phelan
Irish
"wolf"
Phelan, pronounced FAY-lan or FEE-lan, is an appealing Irish surname name, with a rich history in Irish myth and religious and secular life. One bearer was a fiercely loyal follower of the legendary…
Rafe
Variation of Ralph, English
"wolf-counsel"
A top ranking choice in England and Wales, making frequent appearances on the Telegraph Announcments, Rafe feels equal parts rugged, amiable, and posh. Traditionally seen used a variant of Ralph…
Raif
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…
Ralph
English from German
"wolf-counsel"
Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…
Ralphie
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…
Randall
English
"shield-wolf"
Medieval name without much of a future.
Randi
Feminine diminutive of Randolph
"shield-wolf"
A relic of the midcentury Mandi-Sandi-Andi era.
Randolph
English
"shield-wolf"
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,…
Ranulph
Scottish variation of Randolph
"shield-wolf"
An old name still occasionally heard in the U.K., but still and perhaps forever a foreigner in the U.S. Can be spelled Ranulf.
Raoul
French variation of Ralph
"wolf-counsel"
Raoul, with its unique three-vowel middle, rolls off the tongue in an appealing way. Raoul is one of the French names that sounds infinitely more romantic and attractive than the somewhat harsh…
Rodolfo
Spanish
"bold wolf"
Romanticizes Rudolph and distances the name from the red-nosed reindeer. After remaining steadily in the US Top 500 for much of the twentieth century, Rodolfo has been slipping of late.
Rolf
Abbreviated form of Rudolf, German
"famous wolf"
Like Papa name Rudolf, Rolf never quite emigrated from the Bavarian Alps. You might want to move on to Rollo or Wolf.
Rollo
Latin form of Rolf
"wolf"
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.…