6000+ Dog Names

Surname name with an uplifting meaning. Just beware that this is a well-known mattress brand.

Santa has an appealing sound, or maybe that's sleigh bells we hear? It's difficult to separate the Italian girls' name Santa from the association to Mr. Claus, king of Christmas. The German diminutive Senta -- or Snow or even Christmas -- might be an easier name to handle.

Kannon, the name of actor Kevin James' son born in 2011, seems at first glance to be a kre8if spelling of bad boy name Cannon. But Kannon is also the name of the Buddhist god (and sometime goddess) of mercy and compassion, a very different image from the big gun. Either way, it made its way into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, and was one of the year's fastest-rising names.

The Estonian writer Mats Tõnisson created Milvi as a nickname for Miranda. It's also connected to the Estonian word miilama, meaning "glow" or "burn slowly".

Among the Choctaw, names were given after life achievements. Tashka would have been given to a warrior after a battle.

A truly multicultural choice, with separate origins from Scandinavia (also spelled Viveca and Vivica), as well as India (with spiritual meaning in Hinduism).

Cool bearlike option, though Orson might be easier to embrace.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Frances or Francesca

Adelynn is one of the many variations rising on the heels of the lovely, old-fashioned (and yes, sweet) name Adeline.

An X-ending surname less common than the Jolie-Pitt-inspired Maddox. Grandparents might still associate it with the old TV crime show. 

Americans use Asani for their sons and daughters, but it originated as a Swahili masculine given name.

North's image and gender status was irrevocably changed when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West announced it as the name of their newborn daughter. But why not? West is firmly established as a name, Easton is coming up strong, and North has a nice solid sound as well -- certainly as appropriate for either gender. South, though, not so much.

The name Persia derives from Avestan Parsa, the name of the Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into southern Iran in about 1000 BCE. Persis or Persea, the feminine form of Perseus, feel more namelike.

Likable choice for history-minded parents who might want to honor Irish patriot Charles Parnell.

Up-and-coming actress Beanie Feldstein is attracting attention toward her unusual — but rather cute — nickname. She was born Elizabeth Greer Feldstein but nicknamed "Elizabeanie" by her childhood nanny. It was later simplified to Beanie by her older brothers.

This intriguing Scandinavian name is associated with Roald Dahl, author of the juvenile classics James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You can honor an ancestral Ronald just by dropping that middle 'n'.

The Kodi respelling of early 90s favorite gender neutral name Cody might have gone unnoticed were it not for Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, star of Jane Campion's Power of the Dog.

Veronica Roth used the name Four for a character in her novel Divergent.