6000+ Dog Names

A much fresher Ty name than Tyler or Tyson.

Odette's evil Swan Lake twin -- gives the name a sinuous, sensuous appeal.

Shawn is a phonetic spelling of Sean that may be past its peak – it was a Top 30 name in the early 1970s – but is still quite popular for boys: over 500 baby boys were named Shawn in the US in the most recent year counted vs 800 given the original Sean spelling.

Puck was Shakespeare's mischievous pixie who'a had a few television incarnations in more recent years. A popular name in The Netherlands but nowhere else, from what we can tell.

Juan, the Spanish version of John, is ubiquitous in the Spanish-speaking world, and is familiar internationally via such references as Don Juan and San Juan.

Esperanza is a Spanish classic that's found its way onto the national popularity list in recent years. It came into the spotlight not long ago when jazz singer Esperanza Spalding "stole" the Best New Artist Grammy from favorite Justin Bieber. It's also the name of the main character in the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, about a young Latina growing up in Chicago.

Paolo is an irresistibly lush Italian name for boys, worlds more romantic than its spare English equivalent.

Despite the possibility of gender confusion, the Hero in Greek myth was a woman. Myleene Klass got that when she chose Hero for her daughter, and Sam Taylor-Wood and Aaron Johnson used it as their daughter's middle--and we wouldn't be surprised to see more girls with this heroic name.

Benno is a cool name in its own right -- there was a tenth century Saint Benno -- though it is also used as a lively nickname for Benjamin. Saint Benno of Meissen is the patron saint of anglers and weavers and, strangely enough, alliteration.

An unnecessarily complex retooling of Paisley, one of the most popular girl names that start with P.

The name Jiraiya was created in 1806 for yomi-hon — a type of book from the Edo Period — called Jiraiya Monogatari. The character was revived later in the century for a folk tale series Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari, in which Jiraiya, a ninja, shapeshifts into a giant toad.

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye."

More unusual than Fiona and more user-friendly than Fionnuala, the engaging Scottish Fenella, has been scarcely heard in this country.

Rarely used, and for good reason. Alonzo is a preferable choice.

Ancient name, near obsolete now, but could make a good alternative to Owen for the adventurous baby namer.

The intriguing and creative feeling Twila is a vintage name that was semi-popular in the first half of the 20th century. Evoking the glowing light of twilight, it might appeal as an alternative to Lila, Tyler, or Skylar, or for the for the grown-up fans of the Stephanie Meyer's vampire series, Twilight.

Twila — also spelled Twyla — has a number of possible origins. On one hand, it could simply be inspired by the word "twilight", connecting it to the time of evening when the sun is below the horizon. Alternatively, it could come from the word "twill", a type of textile weave that creates a sturdy fabric, or, it could be inspired by the French Étoile (said EH-TWAL), meaning "star".

Said to refer to either Jupiter or Venus, either of which would be preferable as a name.

This is a more spunky and Nordic looking variant of Erica, but the k also makes the connection to the beautiful flower less apparent.

Thor, the powerful name of the Norse god of thunder, strength and rain, would make a bold statement. Long a comic book staple, Thor has now invaded the big screen, and could land on birth certificates as well.

This Turkish name meaning "friend" should be very useable outside Turkey, given that it is pronounced just as it is spelled. Famous men named Emre include Emre Can, a chess grandmaster, and Emre Sahin, the director.