Funny Dog Names
- Viper
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"snake"Description:
Undeniably frightening and undeniably cool.
- Banjo
Origin:
Word nameDescription:
When actress Rachel Griffiths chose this highly unusual name for her son, many assumed it was a bizarre invention. But a noted Australian poet (Griffiths is an Aussie) is known by this name.
- Daenerys
Origin:
Literary nameDescription:
Daenerys is yet another girls' name invented by "Game of Thrones" author George R. R. Martin that is beginning to gain some traction in real life. Daenerys was used for 67 baby girls in 2013 while one of the character's titles, Khaleesi, was given to 241 baby girls. And the name Arya, also from the hyper-popular series, is one of the fastest growing girls' names in the country.
- Kale
Origin:
Modern invented nameDescription:
Whether you think of it as Cale with a K, or a pet form of Kalen or Kaleb, this is just the kind of short, synthetic name finding a lot of favor now, but remember -- it's also the name of a vegetable.
- Guido
Origin:
ItalianMeaning:
"guide, leader"Description:
Guido was very popular in Renaissance Italy, with many namesakes including painter Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro) and mathematician Guido Fubini. Guy Fawkes, of gunpowder plot fame, sometimes used this version. Nowadays it's unfairly overlooked, but in the current trend for snappy international names ending in -o, this cultured gem deserves more use.
- Chip
Origin:
Pet name for CharlesDescription:
Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.
- Ramses
Origin:
EgyptianMeaning:
"son of God"Description:
Ramses was the name of several kings in Ancient Egypt, including the long-reigning Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great. Unfortuntely, some may associate it with the condom brand name.
- Deuce
Origin:
English word name or nicknameMeaning:
"two"Description:
Basketball's Jayson Tatum introduced this to the naming lexicon when he used it as a clever nickname for his son, Jayson Christoper Jr. It fits in with nicknames like Trey or Trip for boys who are the third in the family with their name; we've even heard Quatty and Quinto.
- Dudley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"Dudda's meadow"Description:
It's easy to love a name that rhymes with "cuddly" and is also attached to the surname Do-Right -- once you ignore the "dud" connection.
- Velma
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"will helmet"Description:
Velma likely originated as a phonetic spelling of the German name Wilma, itself derived from Wilhelmina. Velma Dinkley is a smart, if nerdy, character in Scooby Doo.
- Clarice
Origin:
Medieval form of Clarita, a derivative of ClaraMeaning:
"bright, clear"Description:
If you’re a fan of the annual animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you’ll recognize the name of Rudolph’s beautiful doe sweetheart, pronounced cla-REES—uncomfortably close to the Silence of the Lambs pronunciation. Clarice was the name of the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici, and Clarice Cliff was a famed British ceramics artist. Though a Top 300 name from 1906 to 1934, modern parents might prefer the more delicate Clarissa.
- Katniss
Origin:
Literary and botanical nameDescription:
Katniss Everdeen is the heroine of the popular Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, whose name comes from the (very real) edible aquatic plant of the genus Sagittaria. Katniss's father tells her that if she "finds herself," she'll never go hungry. Other unusual botanical names in the series include Primrose, Posy, Rue, and Clove, all for girls. Several of the boys' names come from ancient Rome: Cato, Seneca, Flavius, Caesar. Katniss the name has less appeal than Katniss the heroine, though it's definitely more attractive than Renesmee.
- Muffy
Origin:
Nickname nameDescription:
Muffy is one of those nickname names that flourished in the Baby Boom era -- or was it only on television? -- and now is rarely used. Strictly speaking short for Muffin, few girls have been given Muffy as a proper name in any era, and when it was used, it was usually as a nickname for Mary or Margaret or some other traditional name.
- Gustav
Origin:
TeutonicMeaning:
"staff of the Goths"Description:
Gray-bearded name heard primarily in Sweden and Germany.
- Pluto
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"rich"Description:
The Roman god of the underworld, the former ninth planet, a cartoon dog...but not a baby.
- Tiger
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"animal name"Description:
Other wild animals like Fox, Wolf and Bear are catching on as baby names, and Tiger is a rarer option with several famous namesakes, including golf champ Tiger Woods, who was born Eldrick. Other famous Tigers include Indian actor Tiger Shroff, born Jai, and British actor Tyger Drew-Honey, who spells his name with a Y.
- Nacho
Origin:
Word name or short form of IgnacioDescription:
Not unless you want your son to grow up to be just like a wacky Jack Black character.
- Cher
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"beloved"Description:
For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.
- Newt
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a small salamander"Description:
Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton.
- Paradox
Origin:
English word nameDescription:
A paradox is a statement that while seeming true contradicts itself. With the less-than-pleasant "Doxy" as an obvious nickname, Paradox is perhaps a better name for a cat than a baby.