Dog Names That Start With Z

Readers who remember J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey have probably forgotten that the character was male (nee Zachary). Nowadays the somewhat loopy spin on Zoe is associated with actress Zooey Deschanel.

Zosime is a rare name from Ancient Greece that's a feminization of Zosimus or Zosimos, the name of several early saints, a pope, and an author of the history of the Roman Empire. It's a name that feels at once ancient and futuristic, which gives it enormous potential in the contemporary world.

A feminine multicultural nickname name perfectly able to stand on its own.

Despite its varied cultural ties, Zizi still sounds like a cancan dancer or a fluffy lapdog.

Heard in Spain more as a last name, but would work here as an alluring first.

With its sharp Z initial and similar sound to Ryan, Zion has shot up the charts in singer Lauryn Hill used it for her son in 1997. Following on in its footsteps, spelling variant Zyon entered the Top 1000 in 2019 and was given to around 270 babies in a recent year.

One of the most unusual of the "iah" names, it comes with the appealing and usable nickname Zev.

Superfans of auteur Wes Anderson may now consider Zissou as a baby name option, ever since Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton used it for their daughter (birth name Kinsey Sioux). It's a clear homage to Anderson's film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, chronicling the journey of a Jacques Cousteau-like oceanographer avenging his partner's death-by-jaguar-shark.

A rarely heard biblical name, Zadok is borne by no less than nine Old Testament men.

Rhythmic, tangoish name quite popular in Spanish-speaking cultures.

Zafreen variant used by Stephenie Meyer in the Twilight saga.

A strong name with a strong meaning, like its cousin Zafir.

Zuma is a name that can appeal to almost anyone — just pick your association! There's former South African president Jacob Zuma, the Malibu beach, video game, and more. Children will associate it with the male Paw Patrol character — which may explain why Zuma is becoming more popular among dogs.

Familiar-but-new and ultra-rare (for girls anyway), Zealand has a lot going for it with its spunky Z initial and globe-trotting vibes. Sparingly used for boys since the 2000s and even more occasionally used for girls since 2010, YouTube family The Labrants brought this name into the spotlight when they called their son Zealand in 2019.

Zeppelin is a fast-rising Z name for both sexes — a cool choice that evokes aviation and classic rock. Nick Cannon used it as the middle name for his 11th child, daughter Beautiful Zeppelin.

Zolten is a variant spelling of Zoltan, which is currently in the Top 50 in Hungary, its country of origin. We recommend you stick with the original spelling, which remains extremely rare.

Zosimos or Zosimus are Ancient Greek names with several saints, a pope, and an author of Roman history to their credit. The female form is Zosime.

This variant of Zaniah debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2007.