Hipster Dog Names

This lovely name from Spenser's The Faerie Queene is borne by a character who represents married love. A related unusual-yet-usable choice: Amabel.

Amoret

Brisk, preppy York is an underused classic with the potential to really shine in the 21st century. It's most familiar as a place name — York is a city in England — and surname. New York City and State were named after the Duke of York.
 
The most notable York in history was an enslaved man who was the only Black member of Lewis and Clark's expedition. York was a key member of the journey, skilled in hunting, medicine, and other survival skills. He was also invaluable in Native American diplomacy. At the end of the expedition, Clark denied York's freedom and instead sold him black into slavery.
 
Despite the sad ending to York's story, he is an American hero with a name worthy of consideration.

York

Anouk, made famous by French actress Anouk Aimée, is a singular name with a lovely sound and a Bohemian feel. Anouk Aimée was born as Francoise, but adopted the first name of the character she played in her debut film.
 Anouk, which is quite popular in The Netherlands, was the name of the young daughter in the French film Chocolat. (some other interesting character names in that movie are Vianne, Roux and Dedou.) The Belgian supermodel spells her name Anouck Lepére.
 Anouk is one of the most appealing of the An-starting names.

Anouk

Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the daughter of Oceanus, supreme ruler of the sea, and also a Cretan woman so beautiful that when she died the Gods made purple flowers grow around her grave.
 Iantha is also used.
 Ianthe was a favorite of the pastoral poets of the seventeenth century and then again in the early nineteenth. She appears in the works of Shelley, Barbara Pym and Georgette Heyer. Writer Richard Brautigan named his daughter Ianthe.

Ianthe

While this may be the Dutch version of Cooper, English-speaking parents are likely to choose this with reference to the Kuiper Belt, a band of small space rocks near Neptune thought to be where many comets come from. With Kai or Ky as potential cool nicknames, this is one underused name with a lot to offer.

Kuiper

Wilmot has the sort of old-school bookish charm of other surname-sounding names like Beckett, Everett, Griffith and Weston. This could be a good choice for families wanting to honor that special William in a creative way, 

Wilmot

Poetic and easy to pronounce (it's keets), this is one of many poets' names to consider, such as Auden, Eliot, Frost, Byron, Lorca, Marlowe, Blake, Emerson and Tennyson. Likely meaning "kite", in reference to the bird of the same name, it could also be used as a nickname to Keaton, or as an alternative to vintage Kit. 

Keats

An unusual, bird inspired name, Swanna may be considered a feminine form of the French Swann — a well-used name for boys in France — or a compound name, mixing Swan with Anna, and lending it the meaning "graceful swan". It appears in the title of the novel, Swanna in Love by Jennifer Belle, which was likely inspired by the 1984 French movie Swann In Love or Un amour de Swann which led to the popularity of Swann itself.
 
While it has yet to appear in the US stats, it may appeal to those who want a one-of-a-kind alternative to Wrenna, Wrenley, and Wren.

Swanna

Contrary to popular belief, the name Kahlo has German origins, rather than Spanish. It derives from kahl, a German word meaning "bald." Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo was born to a German father, photographer Guillermo Kahlo. 
 
Kahlo is given to baby girls and boys in roughly equal numbers each year. It's a modern hero name — the names of virtually all baby Kahlos were inspired by Frida.

Kahlo

Like a blend of vintage-style Edie and popular Katie, Keedie is either an invented name, a variant of the Scottish surname Keddy, or possibly a short form of Katherine. 
 
In the case of Soprano singer Keedie Babb, her name was a creation of her father's, inspired by his love of pop star, Kiki Dee. As a variation of the Scottish surname, Keedie would ultimately derive from the Gaelic Mac Adaidh, meaning "the son of Adam" or "son of the red earth". As a diminutive of Katherine, Keedie likely draws inspiration from Kitty, Katie, Kadie, or Kiki.
 
The name has been used by writer Elle McNicoll in her novel A Kind of Spark and the character Keedie features in both the television adaptation, and in the follow up novel, Keedie.

Keedie

This cool and quirky short form of the suave Ludovic could be an even-more-adventurous spin on Nico and Hugo.

Ludo

A dashing alternative to the popular James and Jacob, Jago is the jaunty Cornish form of the Biblical names. Occasionally (or historically) appearing as Jagoe, Jego, and Jaego, it may have been adapted from the Welsh Iago (YAH-gaw).
 
Typically pronounced as JAY-go, it has been notably borne by a legendary king of the Britons, by archaeologist Jago Cooper, and by a minor Tolkien character, Jago Boffin. Appearing in the England and Wales Top 1000 since at least the 90s, a recent year saw it appear at #639 alongside names like Landon, Cosmo, Kieran, and Ivo. 
 
Very occasionally, Jago might be used as an alternative spelling to the Spanish Yago (also a form of Jacob/James).

Jago

Finlo is a name from the Isle of Man, deriving from that island's pagan sun god, Lugh. Given the popularity of all Finn names right now, Finlo could be a great alternative for people who love the "Fin" sound but want a more unusual name.

Finlo

Nearly unknown outside the British Isles, this old Scottish variation has a sleek surname feel that can make an excellent update of the flagging Christopher.

Kester

An energetic nickname name occasionally encountered in England, particularly among Telegraph-reading circles. It is traditionally short for Antigone, but nowadays it's just as often bestowed as a standalone name.
 
A notable bearer is the former nanny of Princes William and Harry, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was actually born Alexandra.

Tiggy

Rugged but gentle, Sholto is a traditional Scottish first name, especially within the Douglas clan, with Sholto Douglas being its mythical ancestor. It is an Anglicized form of Sìoltach, meaning "sower". 
 
Sholto appears in on a minor character in Elizabeth Gaskell's1855 novel, North and South, and as a surname in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four. It has been notably borne by wheelchair rugby player Sholto Taylor, pianist Sholto Kynoch, and rower Sholto Carnegie.

Sholto

This name belongs to the eponymous heroine of Rossini's opera Zelmira (1822) about a (fictional) princess of Lesbos who saves her father and husband and her kingdom. 
 
As a name, it may well be viewed as a from of the Slovakian and Croatian Želimira, just without the diacritics. In this case, it would mean "one who wishes for peace". However, it might also be connected to Arabic names such as Zahra, Amira, Zehra or similar.

Zelmira

Digby is a place-name in Lincolnshire turned surname turned quirky first name that is starting to get some attention. In fact, it ranked in the UK Top 1000 in a recent year where it fits in with the likes of Barnaby, Rupert, and Wilbur. 
 
The name has been used for characters in Joanna Quinn's novel, The Whale Bone Theatre, in the TV soap, Holby City and the game Animal Crossing.
 
A similar name is Diggory, found in both Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit, Hardy's Return of the Native, and C.S Lewis's Narnia novels (spelled Digory). They both have a clunky, old-man vibe, but also share sounds with the modern Briggs and Riggs.

Digby

The name of the famous British man of letters might just appeal to some English majors as a more interesting alternative to Zachary. An appropriate playmate for Russell Crowe's boy Tennyson.


Thackeray

The name of the Greek goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera, is rarely used today but may be ripe for revival considering the popularity of rhyming Phoebe. Sweet as Bebe but with the sophistication of Hera or Hero, it can be pronounced as HEH-BEH in classical Greek and as HEE-bee in English.
 
While some may find is a little close to the phrase "heebie-jeebies", it nevertheless featured in the England and Wales charts back in the late 90s and early 2000s and doubles up as a botanical name, associated with colorful evergreen shrubs with purple, pink, or white flowers.

Hebe

 stand out from the crowd, distinct from all the Lunas, Bellas, Daisys, Chesters, Maxes, and Tobys. They are cool, unique, and creative, inspired by art, future baby name trends, and fashion.

for female dogs include clunky-cool options like Agnes, Dinah, Jemima, and Thelma, along with creative names like Cricket, Bronte, and Kahlo. 

like Cyril, Percival, and Ludo, and cool names like Lorcan, Griffin, and Jethro. 

are Selwyn, Alcott, Amaury, Hebe, and Saga.

Hipster Dog Names stand out from the crowd. They are cool, unique, creative, and arty. Hipster dog names are ahead of the trends, so far out they're in, fashionable, and uexpected.  (Page 10)