Pet Names · Dog Names
By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 24 pages
of 24
Latin
"keeper of the garden"
One of the most pleasant and evocative of the hot new occupational names. Related name: Gardner, as in Ava.
German
"brave friend"
Writer James Baldwin could make this an inspirational choice for a child of either sex.
Occupational name
Painter is among the most creative choices in this very fashionable category of names, with a particularly pleasant sound. Whereas most occupational names conjure up physical labor, this one feels…
Greek
"all or shepherd"
Pan is the Greek god with the legs of a goat and the body of a pipes-playing man known for his mischievousness. Pan is also the god of shepherds, pastures, and fertility. Pan is also a Hindi name…
Diminutive of Patricia
"noble, patrician"
An early and still quintessentially gender-neutral name, now supplanted by thousands of fresher options. Hasn't been recorded as a given name since 1991. Pat was the name of a gardener in Alice's…
"peace"
A cool name, representing the Roman goddess of peace and offering a positive message to bestow upon a child. Pax is one of the most stylish new names that mean peace .
Hebrew; Spanish
"gold; peace"
Paz is an appealing Spanish name meaning "peace", derived from the Latin "pax". It's usually feminine in Spanish, but could also make an interesting literary choice for a boy, honoring the writer…
Word name or nickname
Boo may have started out as a nickname for the male character Arthur "Boo" Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird and these days may be closely associated with another male Boo, the "world's cutest dog" or…
English word name
"pointed top of the mountain; highest point of achievement"
An ambitious geographical name, associated with mountains and success. In the UK, however, this is a slang term, meaning "bad, disappointing".
Word name
"free"
One of the classic hippie word names. In the 1970s, actors Barbara Hershey and David Carradine gave this name to their son...who later changed it to Tom.
Dutch diminutive of Willem or William
"resolute protection"
Short but spirited, Pim is in the Top 200 in The Netherlands, though it is little-known elsewhere. A diminutive of Willem (or William), it possibly emerged via its rhyme with alternative, more direct…
English modern coinage
"picture cell or element"
Coined in the 1960s to define the smallest photographic element of a televised image. It's a portmanteau of "picture" + "cell" or "element".
English
"land near the port"
There are two lovely Portlands, in Maine and Oregon, but not many babies with their name.
There are many fire-related names, from Aidan to Fiammetta, but the Flame isn't one that's often found on birth certificates. It's a highly symbolic word: flames can represent faith, passion and…
Literary name
Puck, the mischievous sprite of Shakespeare, is a unisex name given more often to girls in The Netherlands and is also the name of one of the moons of Uranus, discovered in 1985 and named Puck for…
Nature name
Strong meaning, sweet but strong sound, fresh and earthy: a winner.
Place-name
An interesting Canadian province and city name that has some literary history as the name of a character in Dickens's Bleak House ; could make a distinctive choice for parents with northern roots.
Diminutive of Fiorenzo, Italian
"flowering"
Quirky Italian baby name that works for any gender.
Norse
"queen's settlement"
Quinby is a fresh surname-y spin on the popular Quinn. A familiar surname with a zippy sound, it may appeal to those who also enjoy Darby, Toby, and Alby, but want something one of a kind, yet to…
The nature boy version of the Scandinavian Leif, which actually means "heir". In the creative-naming Phoenix family, Leaf is the former name of the actor we know as Joaquin.
