Pet Names
By Grace Royal · Updated October 2026
Across 7 pages
of 7
English word name, diminutive of Barbara, Latin
"foreign woman"
Baby is rarely seen as a given name — or even nickname — these days, although it did rank in the Top 1000 from 1989 to 2003. These instances can be accounted for in two ways. Firstly, infants whose…
English
"sunflower"
A bright and cheery flower name, which could make a great bold middle.
Word name
Asking for trouble.
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.…
Nature name
Usain Bolt chose Lightning as the middle name for his daughter — Olympia Lightning Bolt. Mainstream parents have taken a liking to Lightning as a boy name — it debuted on the charts in 2021, and was…
Fruit name
British-born novelist Plum Sykes has taken this rich, fruity name out of the produce section and put it into the baby name basket. It's more appealing than Apple, more presentable than Peaches. The…
Sabre is a feminine name derived from the word for a type of curved sword, originating from the French "sabre," which came from the Hungarian "szablya." As a name, Sabre projects strength, sharpness,…
Flower name, from French
"lion's tooth"
The bright yellow weed lends itself to a creative baby name, although we don't recommend the nickname Dandy.
Greek
"demi-god"
Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their…
English word name
"liquid, molten rock"
Molten rock from volcanos, and now a red-hot baby name possibility.
A name that's appeared out of thin air, in the same vein as such mystical favorites as Destiny and Nevaeh.
English flower name
"to prick"
Quirky and charming flower name. Thistle is Scotland's national symbol.
"whimsical or fanciful"
Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…
Word name or short form of Ignacio
Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
Word name or nickname
Boo may have started out as a nickname for the male character Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird and these days may be closely associated with another male Boo, the "world's cutest dog" or…
"musk nut"
Aromatic spice used in cooking, and a cute route to Meg, Nutmeg is predominantly used on pets rather than humans.
English nature name
"destructive, fast spreading fire over bush or woodland"
A blazing name, connoting speed and recklessness, this might sound interesting in theory but insensitive perhaps in reality. It might be a cool name for a particularly fast moving pet, however.
Fig was the unlikely name of a beautiful character in Curtis Sittenfeld's Man of My Dreams . It could make a playful middle name or a sparky nickname for the likes of Philippa, Fiona, Felicity, and…
"shine softly"
"string instrument"
When Australian actress Rachel Griffiths chose this highly unusual name for her son, many assumed it was a bizarre invention, but noted Australian poet and writer of Waltzing Matilda , Banjo…
