Animal Names for Babies

Arvid, a Scandinavian name that's virtually unknown in the US, is one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names/sweden">top baby names in Sweden</a>. It might make a handsome, unusual choice for a parent in search of an original yet traditional A name.

Arvid

Name from legend that might be an interesting Jason alternative. 

Dasan

For many, this is a Disneyfied name: Faline was the sweet doe Bambi fell in love with. The name is possibly based on Feline, a Latin name meaning "cat-like", however other sources suggest it comes from the French faon meaning "fawn", combined with the suffix -line. It is pronounced as FUH-LEEN in French and English or as fah-LEE-nuh in German, and was given to 7 girls in the US in 2024.

Faline

A popular name among Arabic speaking communities, Hind has several meanings. It could relate to the Arabic name for India, alhind, or refer to a large group of camels, in turn associating it with abundance. 
 
As an English surname, it likely derives from the Old English, Old Germanic and Old Dutch word for a female deer, however it is unlikely that this is the reason it is used as a given name.

Hind

This unusual name might be a possibility for musical families: Jubal was credited in Genesis with the invention of the lyre, flute, harp, and organ. It also has a jubilant feel through its sound and meaning, and has had some southern popularity via Confederate general Jubal Anderson Early. George Eliot wrote a poem called The Legend of Jubal.

 There have been a few Jubals in contemporary culture as well: Jubal Harshaw in Robert A. Heinlein's sci-fi classic Stranger in a Strange Land and Jubal Early in Joss Whedon's TV cult favorite,Firefly.

Jubal

The most famous Lautaro was a leader of the indigenous resistance against the Spanish in Chile in the 16th-century, making it a historically significant choice, still used today in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, where recent years have seen it rank at #17, #85, and #10 in each respective country.
 
Derived from the Mapuche Lef-Traru, Lautaro is the Spanicized form and has the distinctive, nature-connected meaning of "swift hawk". In Mapuche culture, this could associate it with vision and self-awareness, with being a messenger, and with being someone who lived up to the rules and ideals of the society.
 
A notable bearer today is footballer Lautaro Martínez.

Lautaro

The field of nature names is constantly expanding to include all species of flowers and trees and animals and birds and even fish. In addition to its appeal for anglers, Pike recalls Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered and gave his name to Pike's Peak.
 While Pike also shares the friendly feel of names like Mike and Ike, the word pike can also be a noun or verb referring to a long sharp weapon used to do not-very-friendly things to people. It is also one syllable away from a slur against Traveller people heard in the UK, so maybe this is one to avoid.

Pike

This ancient Viking-era name is a fresh alternative to Raven.

Revna

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. Historically, it's associated with a powerful Viking leader--who had a wife named Poppa. 
 Rollo May was a well known existential psychologist. There have been Rollos on screen played by Buster Keaton ("The Navigator"), Rainn Wilson ("Juno") and John Cleese ("Fierce Creatures").
 Rollo has also been used over the years as a pet form of Roland, Rudolph and Ralph.

Rollo

Swam into style and quickly out again, on Chad's fish- er, coat-tails.

Shad

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 Busy Philipps. Still, it's one of the quirkier <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/c">girl names starting with C</a>.

Cricket

Fauna is the Roman goddess of the earth as well as one of the fairies who protected Disney's "Sleeping Beauty". It can also be considered a word name with a scientific, nature focused feel. Used to as a way to refer to all the animals in a particular area, habitat, or time period, many might think of the phrase "Flora and Fauna" on seeing the name. 



Fauna

Bunny may be adorable, but is it really enough of a name for your daughter? Plus if Buffy is fluffy, what would that make Bunny? 

Still, Bunny as a baby name is in the spotlight since Bryan Adams named his little girl Mirabella Bunny. It makes an old school Waspy nickname for any name that starts with B.

Bunny

One of three Cherokee names with the same meaning, along with Inali and Enoli, both male names.

Inola

Works better as a full name than Arnie does as a nickname. 

Arne

Benno is a cool name in its own right -- there was a tenth century Saint Benno -- though it is also used as a lively nickname for Benjamin. Saint Benno of Meissen is the patron saint of anglers and weavers and, strangely enough, alliteration.
 Benno came to attention in the U.S. via the father and son duo of Benno Schmidt Sr. and Jr. Senior was the venture capitalist who invented the term venture capitalist and Junior was the president of Yale University. Benno is also the appellation of a student character in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Benno

This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf, which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his inspirations for The Lord of the Rings.

Certainly a weighty if historically relevant choice, but usable for a modern baby? Even a few years ago, we might have said no. But Beowulf Sheehan is a noted portrait photographer, Beowulf Borritt a Broadway production designer, and the nicknames Wulf or Wulfie are feeling positively mainstream.

With other ancient names from myth and legend coming to life once again, Beowulf is certainly up for consideration.

Beowulf

From Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, the story of a boy named Kafka -- crow in Czech.

Crow

An evocative unisex one-syllable name, Poe is most distinguished by its literary reference. Edgar Allan Poe was an influential American author and poet, credited with inventing the genres of detective and science fiction, which might provide inspiration for parents who are fans. And now its choice as the name of the hero played by Oscar Isaac in the new Star Wars movie is sure to catapult it from literary choice to major favorite.
 The female singer-songwriter professionally known as Poe was born with the more prosaic name Ann.
 The variant spelling Po is identified with Po Bronson, the chronicler of the technological age, and also has the geographical association with the river in northern Italy.

Actor Sylvester Stallone's iconic surname is beginning to catch the attention of parents having sons, likely owing to the rising in last-names-as-first-names, and because of its cool, stately feel yet cowboy edge. It comes from the Italian word for "stallion", and likely emerged as either an occupational name for someone who bred horses or as a nickname for someone who resembled a stallion. 
 
While it is connected to the iconic acting family, footballer Stallone Limbombe bears it as a given name, while content creator Summer Wilson Fox used it for her son in 2025.

Stallone

Animal names for babies include the obvious, such as Robin or Fox, and names with secret animal meanings, such as Paloma (which means dove) or Arthur (bear).

Animal names have become wildly fashionable for babies

, especially in their blatant form. Bear, Fox, Hawk, and Wolf are all bounding up the charts for boys, while 

 Wren, Birdie, and Lark are reaching new heights for girls.

Animal names are a subset of the ever-widening world of 

. While many traditional names carry animal meanings -- the Old Testament Rachel means ewe, for instance, while the royal Philip means horse lover -- the newest and arguably 

 are unique choices such as Wolf, Birdie, and Bear.

 contains both those that announce themselves clearly and those whose animal meanings are more hidden. This range of animal baby names would be perfect for your wild child.

Animal Names for Babies - boy names and girl names with animal meanings, including Wolf, Bear, and Wren (Page 12)