Dog Names: 2017

Since I'm more likely to get a dog before I have a baby, I figured I'd make a practical list.
  1. Albie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Albert, Alban or Albus
    • Description:

      This cute masculine nickname -- with connections to princes, Hogwarts headmasters and the Manzo family of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" -- almost has enough heft to stand on its own. But all of its precursor names have merit.
  2. Aris
    • Arrietty
      • Origin:

        Literary name, variation of Harriet
      • Description:

        A pretty, dainty name for one of the little characters in the children's book series The Borrowers. It was the basis for a later Studio Ghible animated film, The Secret World of Arrietty. While the connection to Harriet is tenuous, you might want to consider Arrietty as an honorific for an ancestral Harriet, Harry, or even Henry or Henrietta.
    • Artemis
      • Origin:

        Greek mythology name
      • Meaning:

        "safe or butcher"
      • Description:

        Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the moon. Artemis is the equivalent to the Roman Diana, but a fresher and more distinctive, if offbeat, choice.
    • Avis
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "bird"
      • Description:

        Avis is a bird name that's been in hibernation for awhile, possibly due to the car rental association, but it could make a return on the wings of Ava. Baldwin brother Daniel chose it for his daughter.
    • Banjo
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        When actress Rachel Griffiths chose this highly unusual name for her son, many assumed it was a bizarre invention. But a noted Australian poet (Griffiths is an Aussie) is known by this name.
    • Bee
      • Origin:

        Animal name or diminutive of Beatrice
      • Meaning:

        "she who brings happiness"
      • Description:

        We've seen Beatrice and Beatrix climb in popularity, along with traditional nickname Bea. And now there's Bee, giving it a buzzy nature world spin, plus a tie to popular late night TV''s Samantha Bee, not to mention Aunt Bee on the old The Andy Griffith Show TV show. Bee can theoretically be short for any girl names starting with B.
    • Benji
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Benjamin
      • Description:

        Benji is undeniably cute, much in the way of a — yes, an adorable movie mutt. Ben is the handsome traditional short form of Benjamin, but Benji makes a more unexpected nickname
    • Birdie
      • Origin:

        English
      • Meaning:

        "bird"
      • Description:

        Birdie was until recently a middle-aged Ladies' Club member wearing a bird-decorated hat --but now it's just the kind of vintage nickname (think Hattie, Josie, Mamie, Millie) that's coming back into style in a big way. Actress Busy Philipps named her baby Birdie (inspired by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson), as did soap star Maura West.
    • Bo
      • Origin:

        Norse nickname
      • Meaning:

        "to live"
      • Description:

        A popular name in Denmark, in this country Bo has some cowboy swagger and a lot of substance in its minimal two letters. In Mandarin Chinese, Bo means "wave".
    • Bonnie
      • Origin:

        Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "beautiful, cheerful"
      • Description:

        Bonnie is an adorable nickname name, heading back up the popularity list after a 50-year nap. A Top 100 girls' name throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Americans are later to jump on the Bonnie bandwagon but now it's trending here too.
    • Bowie
      • Origin:

        Scottish
      • Meaning:

        "blond, yellow"
      • Description:

        Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn put this name in play as a first name, but David Bowie (born with the considerably less marketable moniker of David Robert Jones) gave it charisma. He changed his surname in 1965 to avoid confusion with the then popular Davy Jones of The Monkees, borrowing it from the American hero of Alamo, Jim Bowie.
    • Cooper
      • Origin:

        English occupational name
      • Meaning:

        "barrel maker"
      • Description:

        The genial yet upscale and preppy Cooper was one of the first occupational last names to catch on -- and Cooper remains a pleasing option.
    • Cosmo
      • Origin:

        Greek, Italian, English
      • Meaning:

        "order, beauty, universe"
      • Description:

        We all heard it on Seinfeld as the long-concealed first name of Kramer, then considered a punchline. Now some pioneering parents are embracing this expansive Greek name, which makes a creative and cool choice for a baby. Influential celebrity couple Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost chose it for their son, born in 2021, which will likely drive Cosmo up in popularity. In the UK, it currently ranks within the Top 1000 boy names and is trending upwards.
    • Dilly
      • Origin:

        Diminutive of Dilys, Dilwen, and Daffodil
      • Description:

        Somewhat light and silly on its own.
    • Dottie
      • Origin:

        English, diminutive of Dorothy
      • Meaning:

        "gift of God"
      • Description:

        Dottie and Dot are old Dorothy nicknames that some cutting-edge Brits are bringing back to fashion. It's been half a century since Dottie ranked on its own in this country, one of those nickname names that flourished in the 1890's.
    • Echo
      • Origin:

        Greek mythology name
      • Meaning:

        "echo or sound"
      • Description:

        Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse. Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love.
    • Edie
      • Origin:

        English, diminutive of Edith
      • Meaning:

        "prosperous in war"
      • Description:

        Edie is part of the Evie-Ellie et al family of cute and friendly short forms that sometimes stand on its own. Briefly popular in the 1960s, it could well be due for rediscovery. It's already a fashionable choice in the UK, where it has ranked just outside the Top 100 for several years.
    • Enzo
      • Origin:

        Italian variation of Henry, also diminutive of Vincenzo and Lorenzo
      • Description:

        You may be surprised to know that Enzo is now a Top 100 boy name in the US, where it has been climbing straight uphill since the turn of this century.
    • Etty
      • Origin:

        French diminutive
      • Meaning:

        "little"
      • Description:

        Ettie or Etty works as a nickname for any name with a prominent "et" sound, usually at the end: think Henrietta, Juliette or Colette. The -ette ending is a French diminutive suffix.