Dog Names That Start With D

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

This familiar Irish surname, best known as the name of the mononamed Welsh female singer, is extremely rare as a first name in the US but could make an original Irish choice.

Dapper-sounding choice with old American roots (Dabney Cosby was a 19th century Virginian architect who worked with Thomas Jefferson on some of that state's most iconic buildings). Dabney Montgomery was Martin Luther King Jr's bodyguard, giving this name yet more American history depth. Dab is a sweet nickname option for this name.

One of the cool new surname-names for girls, likely influenced by the stardom of Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy).

Problematic, even if not for Dilbert.

Popular in Israel, sounds a lot more current than Doris.Brings to mind Dickens' Little Dorrit, though Dorrit was the surname of its heroine Amy.

Daya, popularized in the US as the name of a character on Orange Is The New Black, the variation Daia has recently been chosen as a name by Dutch rapper Willie Wartaal for his daughter, born in March 2016.

Welsh heritage choice that's rare today even in its native land.

Diarra has a nice meaning, but we could see it leading to possible teasing re association with a certain digestive problem.

Has the two-syllable sound so popular for boys, though adding an apostrophe -- and turning it into D'Anton -- changes the name entirely.

Somewhat surprisingly, this old-school David nickname is now used for baby girls in the US more than 80% of the time. In fact, Davie is really heating up for baby girls, in the same style as Frankie and Scottie and Stevie.

Cinderella stepsister type Victorian-valentine name.

This Irish surname packs a lot of attitude, projecting an image of spunk and sass. The Welsh singer Duffy, born Aimee Anne Duffy, is best known for her songs Mercy and Warwick Avenue.

Dune is a haunting and evocative sandy-beach name, which also has sci-fi connections. Dune is a science fiction franchise that was launched by Frank Herbert's 1965 novel. Some interesting Dune character names include Alia, Leto, Siona, Bellonda,and Tamalane.

Much fresher Irish imports available for colleens now.

Pronunciation would not be obvious to Americans.

Common in Wales, but would really stand out here. One of the middle names of Stella McCartney's daughter Reiley; Dilys Powell was a well-known British film critic, Professor Dilys Derwent a Harry Potter character., a witch who worked as a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, and was a celebrated Headmistress of Hogwarts School..

A common pet name, usually inspired by the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, Dodger is used as a given name for around 6 boys every year.

If you're seeking a French artist name that goes beyond Monet and Manet, Daumier -- known for his revealing caricatures -- makes a rich, sophisticated choice.