Animal Names for Babies

This name of famed philosopher, mathematician and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell becomes slightly more plausible with the French pronunciation, bare-TRAHN. Another noted bearer is French director and screenwriter Bertrand Tavernier.

Bertrand

A modern version of the dated Betty.  You might want to consider varying Elizabeth, too, to the Italian Elisabetta.

Betta

Charming Gallic possibility but with some obvious playground problems. 

Bichette

Birley

Birtle

Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter. Blakesley joins other -ley ending names -- Hadley, Finley -- as one of the most popular forms of <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex names</a> with a girlish spin.

Blakesley

This name is usually seen as a surname, but could be used as a first in the tradition of Cooper, Sawyer etc. 

Blanchard

An unusual two-syllable choice, with a cool, animal related meaning, Bleddyn combines the Old Welsh word for "wolf", with a diminutive suffix, giving it the overall meaning of "wolf cub" or "young wolf". While those unfamiliar with Welsh pronunciation may assume this choice is a little gory, the dd is said the English th sound, found in words like then.
 
Borne by an 11th-century Welsh king, more recent bearers have included rugby players Bleddyn Bowen, Bleddyn Williams, and Bleddyn Taylor. In the latest England and Wales name stats, Bleddyn was given to nine boys, ranking alongside Bellamy, Dane, Eoghan, Farley, and Jonty in the same year.

Bleddyn

A neglected surname name that could substitute for the more common Gordon, which has in the past associated with the milk company and Elsie the Cow. 

Borden

Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent. 

Boyer

The famous Battle of the Boyne, in Ireland, vanquished the Catholic king. 

Boyne

Branigan, also spelled Branagan or Brannigan, is an Irish name full of energy and cheer. It was the title of a 1975 John Wayne movie, and Zapp Brannigan is the antihero of the animated sitcom "Futurama." 

Branigan fans might also want to consider such related <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/168/irish-names">Irish names</a> as Brennan and Breccan, Rafferty and Finnegan.

Branigan

The suffix Bran is familiar as raven-related since Game of Thrones, and the -ley suffix has been popular since the 1990s heyday of Ashley.

Branley

This is an attractive Celtic mythological name, popular in Wales and a cousin of the better known Bronwyn. In Welsh mythology, Branwen was turned into a bird.

Branwen

Turkish boy name with an adorable meaning.

Buğra

Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this, including Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia. Calandra itself is the name of a species of lark, and has the versatile nickname options of Callie, Candy, Andra, Andie and Birdie.

Calandra

Putting a C before Albert doesn't make this old occupational name any more contempo. 

Calbert

The kind of hybrid name -- it sounds like a blend of the popular Caleb and Colton -- that could catch on despite its lack of pedigree. 

Calton

Capella, the eleventh brightest star in the sky, carries much mythological and astrological significance. In Roman mythology, Capella represented the goat that suckled Jupiter, whose horn became the Cornucopia or horn of plenty. In Hindu mythology, Capella is called the heart of Brahma, while English legend calls it the shepherd's star. 

Australian Aboriginal myth calls Capella the kangaroo, while in Persian mythology it's a metaphor for both great distance and the color light red. Astrologically, Capella symbolizes wealth and military honor. As if that wasn't enough, CapPella (two p's) also has a musical reference to a cappella singing.

Capella

May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge.  Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.

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 17)