Pet Names · Dog Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 24 pages
of 24
English word name
"of the sun"
Solar is a new gender-neutral word name used nearly evenly for boys and girls. With both a weather and a heavenly bent, it's a name that's just warming up.
Arabic, exact meaning unknown
"holy city; temple; place of great importance"
The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca, now known as the holiest city in Islam. Officially called Makkah al-Mukarramah, or Makkah, it is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia.…
English
"descendant of Moses"
This evocative green nature name, heard much more frequently as a surname, is associated with playwright Moss Hart (born Robert), who co-wrote (with George S. Kaufman) such enduring Broadway comedies…
Latin
"of the city"
Urban was not an uncommon name through the 1930s (rising as high as Number 435), having been attached to several saints and early popes, but it has completely disappeared from the landscape--both…
Irish
"searcher"
Upper crust-y surname Sheridan gains some energy when used for a girl.
Word name
A tad spacy.
Wyoming place-name, French
"canopy of leafy boughs"
Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.
English place name
Lexington is trending as a unisex name, used just about evenly for the genders. For Americans, it's got a patriotic feel, given the importance of Lexington, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War.…
Art name
The surname of the great artist is pronounced the same way as Mathis, the German and French form of Matthew, so it's not a stretch for use as a first name.
Native American
This Native American tribe name is an attractive option for a boy or a girl. Tia Mowry used it for her son in 2011.
Word name, English from Greek
"cyan, greenish-blue"
Cyan is an attractive color names, but for a girl, better go all the way to Cyane, the name of a Sicilian nymph who lived in a blue pool.
Latin surname and Native American
"people of the standing rock"
Seneca's distinguished heritage as the name of the ancient Roman philosopher-playwright who tutored Nero, and of an Iroquois tribe makes this an interesting choice for either sex.
"pasture, meadow"
The original brief, breezy name is somewhat out of favor now even as a middle name. The Leigh spelling has more substance and is more identifiable as female.
"hero or fable"
Legend joins cousins Story, Saga and Fable in the baby name pantheon of narrative words. Unlike Story and Fable, however, Legend comes with additional weight, being used for fame ("living legend")…
English nature name
"small stream"
Now that the popularity of Brooke is waning, and surname style variant Brooks is on the rise, Brook seems live a newly fresh nature-inspired option.
"sand hill"
Dune is a name of several layers. It's a modern nature name, like Ocean, Bay and Reef, although rarer, conjuring up images of breezy sand dunes on summer beach days. It's also assocated with Frank…
English word and nature name
"to swindle"
It feels like Finch should be a modern bird name that's as popular as Wren or Lark, but that's not the case - so it's one to consider if you're looking for a nature name that's familiar but rare.…
"month name"
Most things Jul-related – from the month of July to popular modern names Julia and Julian – originate with Roman emperor Julius Caesar, and the month name July is no exception. Fifteen girls and…
Diminutive of Rachel or Raymond; word name
Most female Rays used to spell their names Rae, but now the Ray Charles, ray-of-sunshine way is cool for both genders. Ray was used for 26 baby girls last year in the US - compared to over 300 boys.…
Georgian variation of Tamar, Hebrew
"date palm tree"
Tamari is a rare form of Tamar that used on girls and boys in the US. Beware that tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce-like condiment.
