Hipster Dog Names

Ned is a gently old-fashioned Nancy Drew-Bobbsey Twins-era short form for Edward that sounds cooler than Ed and is enjoying a small style renaissance.
 Usage of Ned in literature goes back to a Ben Johnson character in 1614, and it is also the name of the protagonist in James Fenimore Cooper's Ned Myers. In Australia, Ned Kelly is famous as a larger-than-life legendary outlaw figure. In this country, Ned Rorem is a respected modern composer.
 There was a 1990s sitcom called Ned and Stacey, and other Neds have appeared in The Simpsons (neighbor Flanders), Groundhog Day and School of Rock. Ned Stark is a prominent, and unusually heroic, character in Game of Thrones, giving the name some new cultural cache, though we can't recommend using his proper name, Eddard.

Possibly created as an elaboration of Otho or Otto, Othello is almost exclusively associated with Shakespeare's 1603 tragedy of the same name. Borne by a Moorish General who is tricked and manipulated by the cunning Iago, Othello is also the name of a classic board game.
 
The name has been appearing in the US stats since the early 20th-century and is given to a small handful of babies most years. The most recent count saw it given to 16 babies: the highest number in over a century. We've spotted at least one birth announcement for an Othello in 2026 saw far, with "Ottie" given as an everyday nickname. 
 
The exact meaning of the name is unknown, as it may relate to a Roman family name of unknown origins (borne by emperor Marcus Salvius Otho), or to the Germanic Otto, Odo, or Odilio meaning "wealth, fortune" or "heritage", perhaps via the Greek form, Othon. Additionally, it could have been inspired by the Biblical Othniel, another name with uncertain etymology, though "strength of God" or "lion of God" are often suggested.

Othello

A fragrant herbal and color name that could make a sensitive, distinctive choice. 

Sorrel

Calm, composed, and chic. Often seen with an accent in France, as Clémence.

Clemence

Pronounced "TAHL-a-mee," this was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and several Greco-Egyptian rulers, as well as the name of a famous Greek astronomer. Actress Gretchen Mol brought it into modern times when she chose it for her baby.

Ptolemy

Gresham is more common as a surname than a first name, where it originally denoted one from the village of Gresham in Norfolk, England. These days, Gresham is also a city in Oregon, neighborhood in Chicago, and country in New South Wales, Australia.

Gresham

A sweet-meaning and sounding name dating back to the Roman Empire, and later found in the antebellum South, Dulcie has in the modern era been heard most often in Australia.
 In Agatha Christie's mystery Murder on the Links, there are twin sisters named Dulcie and Bella, who were a vaudeville duo known as "The Dulcibella Kids." In Don Quixote, the hero's love is Dulcinea.

Dulcie

Long in our category of so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out category, once seen as a gum-cracking 1940's telephone operator, we think it's time to reassess Myrtle, and look at is as a nature name, a plant with pink or white aromatic berries. Ruled by Venus, myrtle is a plant associated with love, peace, fertility and youth.
 Myrtle has lots of literary references as well: in Thomas Hardy's The Hand of Ethelberta, Theodore Dreiser's The Genius, P. G. Wodehouse's Meet Mr Mulliner, and especially The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald's Myrtle Wilson has been played on film by actresses as varies as Shelley Winters, Karen Black and Isla Fisher.

Myrtle

An old aristocratic English name which also belongs to Cambridge college, named for George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand, subsequently Bishop of Lichfield. 

Selwyn

Phyllis has been used by classical poets for the idealized pastoral maiden. A Greek mythological name of a woman who was turned into an almond tree, Phyllis was in the Top 100 from 1916 to 1958, reaching #24 in 1929, and has the (remote) possibility of joining other revived s-ending names like Iris. In the 'St Clare' book series by Enid Blyton Phyllis is nicknamed Fizz.  Just a thought.
Phyllida is a variation that sounds at once more old-fashioned and more stylish.

Phyllis

Percy Bysshe Shelley got the name for one of his most famous poems -- a sonnet about the insignificance of man's labors in the vastness of time -- from the Greek name for Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. 

Ozymandias has seldom been used as a first name for baby boys, and it's not hard to see why. Five ponderous syllables are a lot to bear. But literary names and ancient names are both hot categories, and Oz is quickly becoming trendy, so we can easily imagine some parents gravitating toward this impressive-sounding name. TV fans may recognize Ozymandias as the title of the third-to-last episode of "Breaking Bad," which many consider the best of the entire series.

Ozymandias

Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his daughter.
 Avis Everhard is the fictional narrator of the Jack London dystopian novel The Iron Heel. In the Harry Potter books, Avis is not a character, but a spell.

Avis

Known as a British royal family line as well as a style of architecture, this name feels both solemn and formidable, but with an intriguing "dark-academia" feel to it too. Currently in the Top 1000 in England and Wales, it is also used in Romania and Moldova.
 
The name is of Welsh origin, derived from Toutorīx and Tewder, both relating to Theodore or Theodoric.

Tudor

Pixie is a cute -- quite possibly too cute -- name that suddenly feels possible thanks to the craze for names that contain the letter x.  Though its origin may be uncertain, a pixie is internationally recognized as a sprite or fairy: tiny, sometimes green, usually pointy-eared.

Pixie

Tilden is mostly seen as a male name, but we love it just as much for a girl. It's an androgynous answer to Tilda, and still gets you the super-sweet nickname Tilly (or Tildy).

Tilden

Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I — Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy. 

Bess

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 daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.
 In Greek legend young Leander swam across dangerous waters every night to court his beloved Hero. In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Hero is the love interest of Claudio and cousin of Beatrice.

Hero

The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an eccentric aristocrat, much more accepted in the U.K. than she has been here.
 Hester's beyond-Hawthorne's literary appearances include as characters in Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy, in Oscar Wilde's play A Woman of No Importance, in John Irving's novel A Prayer for Owen Meaney, and as Niles and Frasier Crane's mom on Frasier.
 Hetty is Hester's usual nickname, sometimes used independently.

Hester

Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example.  Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter, was in classic myth raped by Zeus and escaped from him by changing herself into a cow. 

 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 9)