Pet Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
German
"war"
An ancient German saint's name – and most famously the name of Harry Potter's snowy owl – but the combination of "head" plus "wig" feels a little too literal in English.
Hermina is a feminine name with Germanic origins, functioning as a feminine form of Herman or Armin. It derives from the elements 'heri' or 'hari' meaning 'army' and 'man' meaning 'man,' together…
English
"battle advice"
Part Hilda, part Mildred, but unfortunately not the good parts of either.
"protective helmet"
Hilma is heard in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and sometimes used as a shortening of Wilhelmina--though there are more appealing German names for girls . to be found. Hilma Wolitzer is an…
English and Dutch variation of Hubert
More user-friendly than the original.
Latin
"of the garden"
Hortense is actually the French feminine form of Hortensia, the name of a strong, politically active early Roman woman. Hortense began to be used in the English-speaking world in the nineteenth…
Hebrew
"sweet, lovable"
Hilda with a stuffed nose.
Anglicized variation of Chaim
"life"
Hyman was commonly used by first-generation Jewish immigrants to Anglicize Chaim, but similarities to terms like heinie and hymen have taken it out of the realm of modern possibility. The original…
