Badass Girl Dog Names

  1. Skye
    • Origin:

      Scottish place-name
    • Description:

      The e-addition takes the name from slightly hippie-ish nature name to the place name of a picturesque island off the coast of Scotland, and for baby namers it's by far the more popular spelling.
  2. Zelda
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Griselda
    • Meaning:

      "gray fighting maid"
    • Description:

      Classified as an early beauty, Zelda has long and often been used as such for characters in books and films. Since 1986, Zelda has been a prime Nintendo name, as in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
  3. Tabitha
    • Origin:

      Aramaic
    • Meaning:

      "gazelle"
    • Description:

      Though never as popular as the name of her Bewitched mother, Samantha, Tabitha has its own quirky, magical charm. The name of a charitable woman who was restored to life by Saint Peter in the Bible, it was a popular Puritan choice. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick chose it for one of their twin daughters, which gave it a slight boost. Nonetheless, Tabitha remains in decline.
  4. Lavender
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "purple flower"
    • Description:

      Lavender lags far behind sweet-smelling purple-hued sister names Violet and Lila, but is starting to get some enthusiastic attention from cutting-edge namers along with other adventurous nature names like Clementine and Marigold.
  5. Rio
    • Origin:

      Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "river or place of the cherry blossoms"
    • Description:

      Rio is one of Japan's most popular girls' names, constantly sitting in that country's Top 10. Of course, Rio may also stem from the Portuguese and Spanish word for river, and the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro. A truly international name for a cosmopolitan baby!
  6. Petra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "rock, stone"
    • Description:

      A strong Greek name with pan-European charm, Petra is a relatively recent feminization of Peter, though it relates back to an incredible ancient city in Jordan that was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century.
  7. Azalea
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "azalea, a flower"
    • Description:

      Azalea is one of the fresher flower names, along with Zinnia and Lilac, that are new to the name bouquet — in fact, it entered the Social Security list for the first time in 2012. So if Lily and Rose are too tame for you, consider this brilliant pink springtime blossom with a touch of the unusual that has been growing in popularity.
  8. Rumi
    • Origin:

      Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "beauty, flow, lapis lazuli"
    • Description:

      Rumi is a Japanese girls' name that sounds like a couple of other choices more familiar in the West -- Rumer and Remi -- that is achieving notice because of its choice by two celebrities, including Beyonce and Jay-Z.
  9. Zora
    • Origin:

      Serbo-Croatian
    • Meaning:

      "dawn"
    • Description:

      Zora is a meaningful literary heroine name honoring Zora Neale Hurston, an important black writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance.
  10. Goldie
    • Origin:

      Anglicized form of Yiddish Golde or Golda
    • Meaning:

      "gold"
    • Description:

      Goldie is a shimmering new addition to the nickname name lineup, and became one of the fastest rising girl names in 2023. After peaking at Number 114 in 1904-1905, Goldie slid off the list completely in 1958. She re-entered the US Top 1000 again in 2021.
  11. Solana
    • Origin:

      Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "sunshine"
    • Description:

      A bright and warm possibility for a summertime girl, Solana has been heard in a few video games. Solana Rowe is the real name of the singer known as SZA.
  12. Indie
    • Origin:

      Short form of India, Indigo etc
    • Description:

      Indie is an independent-sounding nickname name that is in the Top 100 in Wales. As a diminutive, it's growing in popularity -- along with indie films, indie publishing -- and the reason some parents are choosing names like India and Indigo. The Indie version seems more feminine, while Indy as in Indiana Jones tends toward the boyish.
  13. Rhiannon
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "divine queen"
    • Description:

      Most of us had never heard this lovely Welsh name with links to the moon until we heard the 1976 smash hit Fleetwood Mac song of that name, with lyrics by Stevie Nicks. That same year it popped onto the U.S. Top 1000 at Number 593.
  14. Araminta
    • Origin:

      Invented hybrid name from Arabella and Aminta
    • Description:

      Araminta is an enchanting eighteenth-century invention familiar in Britain and just beginning to be discovered here. It was used in 1693 by William Congreve in his comedy The Old Bachelor, and in 1705 by the versatile Sir John Vanbrugh, architect of Blenheim Palace as well as a playwright, for his comedy The Confederacy.
  15. Tatiana
    • Origin:

      Russian from Latin family name
    • Description:

      Tatiana was derived from Tatius, a Sabine-Latin family name of unknown origin. Titus Tatius was the name of an ancient king who ruled over the Sabines, an ancient Italic tribe who lived near Rome. The Romans used the name Tatius even after the Sabines died out and created the derivative forms Tatianus and Tatiana. The names were eventually disseminated throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including Russia.
  16. Oriana
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "dawn"
    • Description:

      Oriana is a dashing medieval name, with a meaning similar to Aurora. At this point, though, Oriana is much more unusual than Aurora and makes a unique choice if you're searching for names that mean new beginnings or dawn.
  17. Alouette
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "lark"
    • Description:

      Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette.
  18. Raven
    • Origin:

      Word and animal name
    • Description:

      Bird name Raven, once a symbol of pride for both African-American and Wiccan parents, is finding new life as a superhero name. Raven Darkholme is the real name of Mystique, heroine of the X-Men films played by Jennifer Lawrence. And there is another Raven superheroine in Teen Titans. Some parents may still choose Raven to signal black pride or mystical powers or maybe even Edgar Allan Poe fandom, but we are guessing most inspiration is coming from the comics.
  19. Kiki
    • Origin:

      French nickname and Japanese
    • Meaning:

      "double happiness"
    • Description:

      Kiki is one of the Coco-Gigi-Fifi-Lulu bohemian-type French nickname names from the turn of the last century, which have endless energy and sparkle. Artist Kiki Smith is its most well-known contemporary representative, and Kiki was the inspiring heroine of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Kiki can be a nickname for any name beginning with the K sound, from Katherine to Christina to Kayla.
  20. Ezra
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "help"
    • Description:

      Ezra is a biblical favorite for boys that's been making inroads into the girls' Top 1000 recently and continues to rise.