Dog Names That Start With B

This name of a busy British port city -- as well as of several places in America -- has a brisk and bustling air. It will now--and for years to come--be identified as a (female) Sarah Palin name.

Bingham is the unusual surname name chosen by Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy for their son. It was Bellamy's mother's maiden name, and the nickname Bing, coincidentally, belongs to almost-stepfather Kurt Russell's dad. We haven't heard Bing since crooner Crosby, but it does have a lot of zing.

Edgy German capital with definite possibilities as a baby name.

Breton is the term for the people and language of Brittany, a region of northern France with a distinct culture. Breton also might be thought of as a trendy modern invention, taking the midcentury surfer boy Bret or Brett and adding the current favorite boy's name ending -on and turning it into a name all its own. Bretton is a variation.

Like other "ee" names, Bailee is starting to lose its shine, slowly slipping down the charts.

This French name meaning goddess is a possible Gallic import in the Celine mode.

Pronounced Beecham, but still too fancy and fey. Likewise Beaufort (beautiful fort), Beaufoy (beautiful beech tree), and Beaumont (beautiful mountain).

Brixton, a formerly rough but now cool-and-gentrified area of London, is also gaining notice as a baby name, especially for boys. About 20 baby girls were given the name in the US in the most recent year, vs. about 300 baby boys. Its similarity to the trendy Braxton and the x in the middle place help make it appealing to contemporary parents.

The energetic Brody is a name that claims different meanings and origins depending on whether you're looking at its Irish, Scottish, or English history -- and Eastern Europeans claim a version too. This spelling is much more popular for boys, but has seen some use for girls in recent years, including volleyball player Gabrielle Reese's daughter. An alternate spelling is Brodie.

An attractive ancient Irish saint's name that conjures up a beacon of light, this Irish name for boys is well-used in Ireland but rarely heard in the US.

Enough parents have appreciated this combinations of the sounds from Brayden and Jaylen to make it a widely used name. Its most noted bearer is former football player Braylon Edwards.

An offbeat approach to Bella. Also a Yiddish form of Bilhah, one of the four women who gave birth to the tribes of Israel.

Babs is an old-fashioned nickname for Barbara, itself an old-fashioned name that was hugely popular in the 20th century but that's not (yet) on its way back in. If you really want a vintage-y nickname name with a lot of attitude that bucks the current friends, go for Babs instead of Betty or Bea.

You say Bryn, he says Bryana -- here's a name you might agree on.

The name of medieval French saint, similar to Sally Field's name, Bertrille, on the old The Flying Nun sitcom, leading some to expect the word "Sister" in front of it.

There are several fine Ben-beginning boy's names, such as BENJAMIN and BENEDICT, but girls names like this and BENJAMINA don't fare as well.

Think of this as the Hebrew equivalent of Benedict or Benito; best for observant Jews.

The last name of folksinger Joan is melodic in its own right.

We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.

This surname-name comes with some great connotations: Addie Ballou the American feminist, Kurt Ballou — guitarist with the band Converge, or Adin Ballou — abolitionist and pacifist. It has a trendy, whimsical sound that sets it apart from more traditional surnames like Cooper, Hunter, and Archer and puts it more in the camp of the softer international names like Aaru, Bayou, and Finlo.