Animal Names for Babies

This striking mini-name comes with a fierce animal edge — vuk is the Serbian word for "wolf".

Leonia is one of the rarest of the feminizations of Leo and brothers that have lion-related meanings and are growing in popularity throughout the Western World. Leona is the most popular of the group in the US, followed by Leonora, Leonor, Leonie, and even Leo and Leon for a handful of baby girls last year. But Leonia was given to fewer than five baby girls in 2022.

Seen as a name for this first time in the anime Sailor Moon.

Owls are revered and feared in Cherokee culture, thought of as witches in disguise. Uguku is one of multiple owl names in the Cherokee language. It is onomatopoetic with the owl's calls.

Nanny, like Fanny, is an old-fashioned nickname not due for a comeback any time soon.

This variation of the surname Loeb works even better than the original as a first name, though any child named Loew will inevitably have to endure a lifetime's worth of "high and...." jokes. Other leonine options: Leopold or Lionel.

Faigel is a secret nature name deriving from the Yiddish word for "bird". Variants include Faiga and Faige.

Blakesley is the name of a village in England, also sometimes found as a surname along with Blakely and Blakeley, turned into a first name for their daughter by reality stars Trista and Ryan Sutter. Blakesley joins other -ley ending names -- Hadley, Finley -- as one of the most popular forms of unisex names with a girlish spin.

Delicate and lacy, with less emphasis on the jar syllable.

Lihini is a word name from Sri Lanka. When used as a name, it is often interpreted as meaning "free as a bird"

Doubtful if a child would appreciate being given such a horsy name.

The famous Battle of the Boyne, in Ireland, vanquished the Catholic king.

Feline choice that could work well on a boy with Cherokee heritage. Or get meta and use it for your cat.

Candice Swanpoel and Hermann Nicoli gave this uncommon Portuguese name to their son in 2016. It's the Portuguese word for the red-fan parrot, putting it in the fashionable bird name category.

In Nahuatl — a language spoken by indigenous people of Southern Mexico and Central America – Ocelotl both means "jaguar", and also refers to Jaguar Warriors of the Ancient Aztect empire. The name "Ocelotl" also refers to a day in the Aztec calendar. This day is associated with brave warriors and is a good day for battle.

Kimana, the name of a resort in the foothills of Mountain Kilimanjaro in Kenya, would make an unexpected path to the nickname Kim.

Brittle.

Maroochy Barambah, an Australian singer, brought this name into prominence in Australia.