Pet Names · Dog Names
Irish Dog Names
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Fintan
Irish
"white fire or white bull"
Fintan is an ancient Irish saints' name that in legend is also the name of the only person to survive The Flood. Popular in modern Ireland, Fintan is ripe for export to the US where it is rarely used…
Fitz
Scottish
"son of"
Any number of Fitz names -- Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick, Fitzroy, Fitzwilliam -- have been used as Christian names, in fact Fitzwilliam was the given name of the dashing Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice…
Foley
Irish
"plunderer"
There are many more appealing Irish surnames than Foley, and certainly more positive meanings. If Foley is a genuine family name, this would be all right in the middle.
Galway
Place-name
Associated with the poet and novelist Galway Kinnell, this name of an Irish city, county, and bay would make an evocative choice. For further literary cred, writers Liam O'Flaherty and Frank Harris…
Gandy
Irish surname, derivation unknown.
A dandy, bouncy family name with tap shoes, high hat, and cane. There are several theories of its derivation, including as a nickname from the word 'ganty,' for a person who commonly wore gloves, or…
Gilby
Irish
"blond boy"
Transformation of the stolid Gilbert into an animated surname name.
Gulliver
Irish
"glutton"
Gulliver is an obscure Gaelic surname known almost solely through its literary Travels until actor Gary Oldman used it for his son, instantly transforming it into a lively option. British actors…
Hogan
Irish
"youth"
Logan came from nowhere in the past few decades to break the Top 25, and Hogan is a good bet to follow, now that "Hogan's Heroes" has faded from memory.
Hurley
Irish
"sea tide"
Hurley is a possibility as a unisex surname-name ending with the "lee" sound. It is perhaps most associated with British actress Elizabeth Hurley, and is much rarer than Harley, because the "ur"…
Ivo
Germanic, Slavic
"yew wood, archer; God is gracious"
Succinct, stylish, and catchy, Ivo has the energetic impact of other names ending in -o . It is a multicultural choice with two distinct origins, and, as such, is familiar across a variety of…
Keelan
Irish
"slender and fair"
Keelan is the Anglicized, phonetic form of the more traditionally-spelled Caelan, also in use. While this name is said by many sources to be unisex, in practice in modern Ireland it is only given to…
Keely
Irish
"slender"
Keely is well-used in modern Ireland, also found as Keeley and Keela. The boys' form is Keelan. Largely unknown in the US, this could make an interesting update for Kelly or Kaylie or Kylie -- though…
Kellan
Spelling variation of Kellen
"swamp; slender"
Kellan Lutz is the attractive young actor who plays Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.
Kermit
Irish, variant of Diarmaid/Dermot
"without injunction, without envy"
Kermit was a Top 500 name until the 1960s, not coincidentally the decade in which Kermit the Frog made it a one-person (well, one-frog) name. Derived from the Irish surname Mac Diamada, itself from…
Leary
Irish, Anglicization of Laoghaire
"herder"
We'd be leery of this one.
Lucan
Irish variation of Luke
Lucan is a rarely heard Irish name, a Luke form with the trendy an ending.
Madigan
Irish
"little dog"
An unusual, energetic surname choice that would make a good Madison alternative. Madigan was a typical police detective series of the 1970s, starring Richard Widmark.
Malachy
Irish version of Malachi, Hebrew, or Secundus, Latin
"my messenger; second"
This spelling, which came to the attention of readers of the best-selling Angela's Ashes as the name of author Frank McCourt's father and brother, the latter of whom wrote a bestseller of his own,…
Maloney
Irish
"devotee of the church"
Too close to baloney.
Marmaduke
Irish
"devotee of Maedoc"
One of the ultimate teasable names, an Irish saint's name now associated with the oversized comic-strip dog. Scottish adventurer Bear (born Edward) Grylls took up the challenge when he used it for…