Favorite Dog names

Colter

English

"colt herder"

A variation on the popular Colton, Colter has been climbing up the US charts since 2010. Given to around 1000 boys each year, it is now in the Top 500, and ticks the boxes for being a cool…

Onyx

Word name

"gem stone; claw, nail"

Unlike Pearl and Ruby and more like Jasper, this gem name works well as a boys name. With its strong final X, it feels similar to Alex, Phoenix, Jax, and Rex, while the shiny black quality of the…

Gunner

Scandinavian variation of Gunther

"bold warrior"

The kind of nouveau macho name favored by NRA-leaning parents, Gunner could appeal to those who like other more military or gun inspired names, such as Hunter, Remington, and Cannon. It got a boost…

Seven

English word and number name

This number name first came to public attention when Erykah Badu and Andre 3000 chose if for their son, Seven Sirius Benjamin, born in 1997. Over a decade later, David and Victoria Beckham used it as…

Noble

Latin

"aristocratic"

With parents beginning to show an interest in virtue names for boys, this Puritan favorite just might be revived, for what could be more admirable than nobility in terms of having strength of…

Fox

Animal name

Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files . Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting…

Suede

French, word name

"Swedish"

In the nineties there was a "One Life to Live" soap opera character named Suede, but few fans picked up on it. Now however, parents may be reconsidering Suede, given its similarity in sound to Sage,…

Rain

Nature name

Mostly feminine, though "Office" star Rainn Wilson gives it a slight masculine twist. You might also use this as a short form of Raines.

Burke

French

"from the fortress"

Simple, usable surname choice.

Lynx

Animal name

One of the fierce new animal names new to name lists, helped by its strong x-ending.

Boris

Slavic

"to fight"

Boris is one of the old Russian names being revived by chic Europeans; it hasn't quite made a comeback yet in the U.S., but it does have potential. For a long time the name has been associated with…

Sirius

Latin from Greek

"burning"

Yes, it's the name of the brightest star in the sky, but can't you just hear people saying, "Are you serious?" Singer Erykah Badu used it as a middle name for son Seven.

Rai

Rai is a multicultural masculine name with diverse origins across several languages. In Japanese, it means 'thunder' or 'trust,' while in Hindi it can mean 'king' or 'chief.' The name also appears in…

Rogue

English word name

"independent, uncontrolled"

Now that names like Cannon and Gunner, fit for comic book heroes, are rising up, Rogue may fit right in.

Laurent

French variation of Lawrence

"of Laurentium or bay laurel"

A French accent makes almost everything sound better, especially when attached to a Twilight vampire. Laurent also has a high-style feel via designer Yves St-Laurent. Laurent de Brunhoff is the…

Raja

Arabic or Sanskrit

"hope; ruler"

A relatively popular Arabic and Sanskrit name, which has a great positive meaning no matter which origin you claim.

Igor

Old Norse via Russian

"warrior"

Musical association with Igor Stravinsky, but also Dr. Frankenstein's right-hand man.

Shade

English word name

Nice sound, but double meaning -- shady glen or shady character.