6000+ Dog Names

Too bad everyone in this country will tend to hear Ronnie.

Lucasta was invented by seventeenth century poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems dedicated to a lover named Lucy, and is familiar through the Eugene O'Neill play and film Anna Lucasta. Lucasta is a distinctive, rarely used choice and a logical extension of the Luke/Luc/Luca names.

This old short form might be seen as a little dubious by some, though it could make for a fun pet name or an update on Roger.

The Kaveri is a prominent river in South India, where it flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is among the seven holy rivers of India, personified by the goddess Kaveriamma. The name was derived from kāvēri, the word for "river" in the Sankethi language. Sankethi, related to Tamil, is spoken in regions around the Kaveri. Cauvery is the Anglicized spelling.

Well used in Japan, appreciated for its powerful meaning.

As the softer-looking Cora of Downton Abbey fame charted highly in the US and the UK, some parents were looking for a way to make this name a little less common, a bit more trendy or far more Germanic by using a "K". We prefer the C version, but Kora is still an elegant name.

Jaliyah seems to be a variation of the popular Aliyah, which has both Hebrew and Arabic origins. From Hebrew, the name means "ascent" while the Ja- beginning often connotes God, so the meaning might be "God's ascent." As an Arabic name, Aliyah means "lofty" or "exalted" while Ja- is a popular prefix used in the African American community, so Jaliyah might be a twist on a more popular choice, or a way to honor an Aliyah.

Mordechai and Mordecai are equally valid — both are used as transcriptions from the Hebrew bible, and one did not originate before the other. But although popular culture tends to prefer the (slightly simpler) Mordecai, Mordechai has always been the more common version for babies born in the US.

A cutesy short form of Jordan that's never been overly popular. Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson is one famous bearer.

Oh, the many spellings of Rafaella. Those with Fs and double-Ls denote Italian origins, while an F and a single L is Spanish and Portuguese. The original Hebrew form is Raphaela.

Popular name in Spain drawn from the Provencal Mireio, coined by the poet Frederic Mistral. Very pretty and, though difficult to spell and pronounce, simpler than the French version.

Gretel originated as a nickname for Margarete, the German form of Margaret. It’s a charming name, but most American parents prefer Greta, as Gretel is strongly tied to the fairy tale heroine.

Zayd (or its most common variant Zaid), an old and still well used Arabic name, was a enslaved man whom Muhammad adopted as his son.

In the 1940s, Toni began to surpass its progenitor, Antonia, but it peaked in 1960 and has since dropped back below the US Top 1000.

The goddess and personification of victory in Greek mythology – sister to strength, force, and zeal – could make a powerful namesake for a daughter. The goddess would fly a chariot across battlefields rewarding the victors with laurel garlands. Though Nike would make a more unique alternative to her much more popular Roman counterpart, Victoria, be warned that many people’s first association will be the sportswear brand.

The Indre is a river in France. Spelled Indra, it's the name of a powerful deity worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains — roughly the South Asian equivalent of the Greek Zeus or Norse Odin. But either Indra or Indre might make a simple, captivating, attractive name for a modern little girl.

Undeniably frightening and undeniably cool.

Consider this short form for your little Richard.

Variant of Nyx or Nixie