Western Dog Names

  1. Lula
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of any Lu name
    • Description:

      Lula is one of the livelier nickname-names with the fashionable double-L sound: It joins Lulu, Lila, Lily, and Lou among the trendiest names today. Lula might be short for Talula and sisters or for Lucy or Louise, or may stand on its own two adorable feet. Lula was actually a Top 50 name in the late 1880's and continued in the Top 100 for a couple of decades more.
  2. Josh
    • Description:

      Josh is a friendly, approachable masculine name that originated as a shortened form of Joshua, which comes from Hebrew meaning 'God is salvation.' While Joshua has biblical significance as the successor to Moses, Josh emerged as a standalone name in the 20th century, embodying a casual, down-to-earth quality. It gained significant popularity in the 1970s through the 1990s in the United States, ranking consistently in the top 100 names. Josh conveys an accessible, unpretentious character with its brief, one-syllable structure. The name suggests a straightforward, trustworthy personality and has maintained steady usage without seeming dated or trendy. Josh represents a perfect balance of familiarity and timelessness in contemporary naming practices.

  3. Dakota
    • Origin:

      Native American tribe and place name; Sioux
    • Meaning:

      "friendly one"
    • Description:

      A Native American tribe name which is found in the names of two US states, Dakota was one of the first trendy nineties place names, but is now flagging a little in popularity. The cultural question around using a Native American tribe name as a baby name may be partly to blame.
  4. Hawk
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Meaning:

      "hawk, a bird"
    • Description:

      Animal names are on the rise, especially more of the aggressive Hawk-Fox-Wolf variety than cute little Bunnys or Robins, and Hawk is a prime example.
  5. Wylie
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from Wylye"
    • Description:

      Wylie is a friendly, nonchalant rodeo name with an almost irresistible charm; parents may pick up on its pleasant similarity to the more popular, unisex Riley. Although more masculine, we see Wylie as working as well for boys and girls (Richard Anderson used it for his daughter in 1999). Wylie (or the interchangeable Wiley) can also be an original and authentic way to honor an ancestral William. We don't, however, recommend you spell the name the way Corey Parker did: Wylei. Why lay?
  6. Addie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Adelaide or Adeline
    • Description:

      Old-fashioned nickname with sweet turn-of-the-last-century charm that's become a favorite among the popular girl names starting with A of today. In fact, with all spellings of Adeline/Adalynn taken together firmly in the Top 10, and Adelaide and Addison also high in the charts, Addie is one of the most frequently-heard short forms around. But no matter how popular (or pandemic) it gets, Addie is undeniably one of the cutest names for baby girls. Little girls might like the fact that it's the name, though spelled Addy, of an American Girl series doll.
  7. Dixie
    • Origin:

      Latin, French
    • Meaning:

      "I have spoken; tenth"
    • Description:

      A sassy, spunky, punchy kind of name, Dixie can also be considered a place name, one that has become problematic because of its association with the antebellum South. The Dixie Chicks recently dropped Dixie from their band name because of its association with slavery and white privilege.
  8. Dash
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Dashiell, meaning unknown
    • Description:

      Dash is a nickname that can stand on its own and sounds, well, dashing. Connected these days with Kardashian enterprises.
  9. Cheyenne
    • Origin:

      Sioux
    • Meaning:

      "people of a different language"
    • Description:

      The name of a courageous tribe, Cheyenne became quite popular in the 1990s, inspiring a wide range of spelling variations—Shyanne is one example that's still on the rise.
  10. Drew
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Andrew, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "strong and manly"
    • Description:

      Drew is an elegant formerly male-only alternative to Andy that joined the stylishly upscale Paige-Brooke-Blair sorority, thanks largely to Drew Barrymore. Barrymore comes by her first name legitimately: it was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgiana 'Georgie' Drew Barrymore, one of many esteemed actors in her family history.
  11. Clint
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Clinton
    • Description:

      As flinty and steely as Mr. Eastwood.
  12. Dot
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Dorothy
    • Description:

      Old-fangled nickname could make dot.com era short form or middle name.
  13. Abilene
    • Origin:

      English from Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "grass"
    • Description:

      Abilene is a rarely used place name, mentioned as such in the New Testament, that combines the cowboy spunk of the Texas city with the midwestern morality of the Kansas town where Dwight D. Eisenhower spent his boyhood. Abilene is a much more untrodden path to the nickname Abbie/Abbie than the Top 10 Abigail.
  14. Liberty
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Less common than other virtue names, Liberty is nonetheless a name with a long American heritage.
  15. Jem
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of James or Jeremiah
    • Description:

      This name of the ten-year-old boy in the much loved and acclaimed modern classic To Kill a Mockingbird could find favor along with that of the character's sister, Scout.
  16. Buck
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "male deer or rabbit"
    • Description:

      Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and Huck.
  17. Denver
    • Origin:

      English or French place-name and surname
    • Meaning:

      "from Anvers"
    • Description:

      Before there was Aspen, Denver was the Colorado city name of choice, and it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2015 after a 14 year absence as a stylish two-syllable boys’ name with its trendy -er ending. Its decade of greatest use was the 1920s, when it reached as high as Number 422.
  18. Marty
    • Origin:

      Short form of Martha or Martina, Aramaic or Latin
    • Meaning:

      "lady or warlike"
    • Description:

      Marty and Martie are old-fashioned gender-neutral nickname names, boyish nicknames not heard much since the middle of the last century. That could change, though, with the rise of vintage boyish nicknames for girls. They have a certain charm and may come back into style along with mother names such as Martha.
  19. Carter
    • Origin:

      English occupational name
    • Meaning:

      "cart maker or driver"
    • Description:

      One of the surname names for boys on its way to becoming unisex, this name broke into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013 for girls. While it sounds masculine to us, because of its two-syllable er-ending sound so trendy with boys’ names, many parents apparently disagree.
  20. Sparrow
    • Origin:

      Nature name
    • Meaning:

      "sparrow, a bird"
    • Description:

      With related choices such as Lark and Phoenix gaining popularity, why not Sparrow? Though it's usually thought of as a female name, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden chose it for their son.