Dog Names That Start With P

If Portia can become Porsche, then Apollo can morph into Polo -- the imprint of designer Ralph Lauren.

This version of the sea god's name may be more ready for prime time than the Roman version, Neptune -- slightly.

Kaiser, Rex, Kingsley, and Prince have become increasingly popular in recent years and Pharaoh is one of the more unexpected members of this regal family of names. Used as the title of ancient Egyptian rulers, it was also given to more than 200 babies in 2019.

Philippe, pronounced fill-EEP, is Philip with Gallic flair.

Your little Pasha will rule the roost. In Russia, Pasha is traditionally given to a boy born on Good Friday.

This sassy, spunky name was used for the mostly Irish jump-roping pigtailed girls of the thirties and forties -- and some Irish and Italian boys as well. Its most noted bearer was iconic country music singer Patsy Cline (born Virginia), and was sighted most recently in the Ab Fab movie. After reaching Number 52 in the late thirties, it dropped off the list completely in 1970--and we're not anticipating a return.

Part of the trend for formerly canine royal names; this is one a little girl might love—up till the age of eight.

Pele is a female name in Hawaiian culture that could make a provocative choice for a modern girls. Others might think you named your daughter after the all-time great soccer player, but the simple, rare, and lovely name Pele has mythological roots.

Varying Filbert does not improve the name: it still makes one think of a nut.

Patton is an attractive name in the fashionable Haden-Peyton mold, though there is that association with the severe wartime general.

More stylish than either Paula or Pauline, it was given a glamour gloss by model Paulina Porizkova in the nineties.

Most familiar as the name of the titular character in The Life of Pi, in which it was short for Piscine Molitor Patel.

Sophisticated, stylish feminine form of Pascal especially appropriate for girls born around Easter or Passover.

The astronomical Polaris is better known as the North Star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. It's also the name of a character in the Marvel Universe, the daughter of Magneto.

This Hindu goddess name is very popular in India. The goddess of love, fertility and devotion, representing female force, Parvati is the wife of Shiva and the mother of Ganesh. There is a Harry Potter character named Parvati Patil, a twin sister of Padma..

Pom is a shortened word name that's not much used in France, but cute and familiar here as one of Babar (the Elephant's) triplets. Pom, pommy and pommie are (non-derogatory) terms sometimes used by Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans to denote a person of English heritage. 

Petronilla is an ancient saint's name that relates to the Roman family name Petronius, thought to mean yokel or woodpecker, though some connect it with Petra or Peter, meaning stone. With the resurgence of so many ancient Roman names, the elaborate and pretty Petronilla or its French form Petronille seem more usable these days than they have in centuries.

In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child.

Pazel's abbreviated version, Paz, is far more modern and attractive.