Pet Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 14 pages
of 14
English
"dwelling in an enclosure"
Severe surname choice.
Modern invented name
Whether you think of it as Cale with a K, or a pet form of Kalen or Kaleb, this is just the kind of short, synthetic name finding a lot of favor now, but remember -- it's also the name of a vegetable.
English word name
"tank"
Military word names, from Cannon to Major, are in, but Tank might push things a bit too far.
"clearing on a bank"
The Shirley of the 1950s. Shelley Winters was born a Shirley.
German
"bright raven"
Last in fashion in the 1930s, Bertram might once have been firmly in the best left in the past category, but with sweet nickname Bertie and the cool option of Bram, Bertram might just be one to…
English variation of Albert
Rocking out on the porch with buddies Hubert, Norbert, and Osbert.
Latin, diminutive of Ignatius
"fiery"
Iggy is the quintessential pop star name, though it's the nickname Cate Blanchett uses for son Ignatius. Iggy does bring any grander-sounding name down to earth.
Diminutive of Margaret, Greek
"pearl"
Just when we had written off Peggy as the eternal perky, pug-nosed prom-queen she projected from the 1920s into the fifties, along came Mad Men , with intriguing mid-century characters with names…
Nature name
Nickname name from the era of Father Knows Best , though we can see it making something of a comeback, a la Clover and Pippa. Cricket has new potential especially since it has recently been chosen by…
Diminutive of Frances
"free man"
Old fashioned nickname that some girls just might be able to pull off. You'd just have to be sure your little Fancy was one of them.
Catalan and Italian surname
"new house"
Sweeping, romantic overtones.
English or Dutch
"leaper, dancer; hop grower"
Sean and Robin Wright Penn chose this name for their son to honor their friend Dennis Hopper; others might associate it with the painter Edward. Couldn't be more spirited.
Diminutive of Beatrix, Latin
"she who brings happiness"
A sassy, spunky name for the bold parent who doesn't remember Mrs. Ed Norton on The Honeymooners or who's into the nicknames-as-given-names trend sweeping the UK and returning to the US. Trixie is a…
Roman god of the sea, freshwater springs, and horses.
This Roman mythology (and planet) name would be very hard to handle. It derives from a root meaning cloud.
English nature name
"apple"
When people talk about unique baby names, Apple is often one of the first examples they mention. Apple made international headlines when Gwyneth Paltrow chose this wholesome fruit name for her…
Japanese
"beautiful jasmine girl"
Streamlined and sleek Japanese name with a sweet, fragrant meaning.
Modern nickname
Brother for Biff and Bud. McFly rocker Tom Fletcher transformed this from midcentury short form to modern cool name when he used it for his newborn son.
Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovene, Scandinavian variation of Bertha
"bright"
A pan-European variant of Bertha and nickname for -berta ending names, such as Alberta and Roberta. It's certainly much more appealing than its predecessor, but unlikely to become a hit in the US…
"good, respectful"
A classic Japanese name known to kids around the world as a Nintendo video-game character.
Greek
"from the sea"
An offbeat possible replacement for the overused Melissa and Marisa, Nerissa was used by Shakespeare for Portia's witty confidante in The Merchant of Venice . Queen Elizabeth has a cousin named…
