Addax 

Adder 

Amethystine 

Anoa 

Asterias 

Bartholomew is one vintage name with Biblical antecedents that hasn't risen again in the modern world, perhaps because short form Bart, as in Simpson, would be too difficult for a contemporary boy to bear.  But antique nickname Bat might work better.  Might.

Bear has suddenly lumbered onto the baby name landscape.  Perhaps inspired by British adventurer Bear Grylls (born Edward Michael), first celebrity chef Jamie Oliver used it as the middle name for his boy Buddy, and more recently Alicia Silverstone called her son Bear Blu., followed by Kate Winslet's Bear Blaize. It's part of a current trend normalizing once aggressive animal names like Wolf and Fox. Bear is now Number 218 on Nameberry and in the Top 900 in England.

Bear

Comedian Roseanne Barr chose this macho nature name for her son. In the 18th century it was used to describe a dashing, fashionable dressed man. Buck fits in well alongside names like Beck, Jack and Huck. 

 The traditional name of the full moon in July, Buck Moon, relates to the fact that the antlers of male deer reach their peak growth around this time of year.

Buck

Bunny may be adorable, but is it really enough of a name for your daughter?  Plus if Buffy is fluffy, what would that make Bunny?  Still, Bunny as a baby name is in the spotlight since Bryan Adams named his little girl Mirabella Bunny.

Bunny

Badger

Beaver

Bilby

Brocken 

May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge.  Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.

Pronounced sham-me, this color and word name is soft and appealing.

Chamois

Colt is the kind of unconventionally macho name that is so trendy right now, because of or in spite of its association with horses and guns. 
 Samuel Colt was the inventor and industrialist credited with popularizing the revolver.
 Colt is a perfect jock name, associated both with Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy and an entire football team, the Indianapolis Colts.

Colt

Several animal names, from Fox to Wolf and even to Tiger, ccan work, but Cougar should stay in its cage. Even John Mellencamp has dropped it.

Cougar

Cabrilla 

Civet 

Cobra

Cria

These wild dogs eat babies, they do not inspire baby names. 

Dingo

Doe is a soft and gentle-eyed middle name possibility and, like Fawn, one of the few animal names open to girls. 
 The Ballad of Baby Doe is a modern American opera based on the story of Elizabeth McCourt Tabor, known as Baby Doe. 
 So yes, use the sweet Doe as a middle name for your daughter--just not if her first name will be Jane.

Deer

Dolphin

Dragon 

Echidna

The doe-eyed Fawn is as gentle and soft as the baby deer it represents. And much like that baby deer, it carries with it the potential of new life. Fawn was featured at the bottom of the Top 1000 throughout the '60s and '70s — around the same time that Bambi came into play. But unlike Bambi, Fawn maintains relevance in the 21st century, thanks to its warmth and ties to the natural world. We would love to meet more baby girls named Fawn.
 
Fawn would work as update to the now-dated Dawn, and is one of our favorite <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/479/middle-names-for-girls">middle names for girls</a>.

Fawn

Fox is one animal name backed by a longish tradition, and then popularized via the lead character Fox Mulder on X Files. Fox is simple, sleek, and a little bit wild, and could make an interesting middle name.
 It was reported that the TV character's first name was not a tribute to the Fox network which aired The X-Files, as often assumed; show creator Chris Carter said he had a childhood friend named Fox. Fox was one of the fastest-rising boys' names of 2016, perhaps because of the popularity of the X-Files revival.

Fallow

Fennec 

Ferret

Filly

Gibbon

Grayling

Griffin is one of the newer and most appealing of the two-syllable Celtic surnames. In English, griffin is the name of a mythological creature, half eagle, half lion. It re-entered the list in 1983 after an absence of 75+ years.
 Brendan Fraser, Teri Polo and Joey McIntyre all chose Griffin for their sons. Actor Griffin Dunne's mother's maiden name was Griffin. Another well-known bearer was Griffin Bell, Jimmy Carter's Attorney General.
 Also worth considering: the original classic Welsh Gruffudd (dd=th).

Griffin

Gryphon

Gecko

Goana

Jaguar

This nickname for popular and traditional Joseph has a long history of being used as a given name all on its own. Nonetheless, everyone will always assume that Joey is short for the longer form. It might be nice for a potential son to have the option of a more professional and classic name to fall back on.

Joey

Jackal 

Jerboa 

Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son. 
Kit is one of those names that is gender-neutral but has a different derivation for boys and girls. For boys, it originated as a short form of Christopher, while for girls, it's an updated diminutive of Katherine.
Kit as a full name is still beneath the Top 1000 for both sexes in the US, but it's getting more popular. In 2022, 166 baby girls and 137 baby boys were named Kit, up from 104 and 129 in 2021.

It's a bear, it's an island, it's (almost) a camera. It's starting to catch some parents' eyes as a wild, adventurous name.

Kodiak

Kitten

Lion

One of the fierce new animal names new to name lists, helped by its strong x-ending.

Lynx

Leveret

With this spelling, and one-syllable pronunciation, it sounds less like a whole name than a cut-off version of Mary.  In fact, actress Mare Winningham was christened Mary. 

Mare

Mako

Marten

Minnow

Rarely used on its own and irrevocably tied to former House Speaker Gingrich -- who was christened Newton. 

Newt

Orca

Otter

The field of nature names is constantly expanding to include all species of flowers and trees and animals and birds and even fish. In addition to its appeal for anglers, Pike recalls Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered and gave his name to Pike's Peak.
 While Pike also shares the friendly feel of names like Mike and Ike, the word pike can also be a noun or verb referring to a long sharp weapon used to do not-very-friendly things to people.

Pike

Lithe and leonine name chosen for her daughter by singer Erykah Badu -- whose other child has the number name Seven. 

Puma

Panther

Perca 

Perch 

Pony

Possum

Python 

Actor Terrence Howard and wife Miranda created this name for their son inspired by the Chinese mythological creature called the Qilin, a good omen predicting the arrival of a sage or ruler.  Pronunciation is like the Irish name Kieran.

Qirin

Quinnet 

One of the most familiar, and assertive, names found throughout the Middle East and India, with a macho soap opera aura in this country. 

In the US, the multicultural surname Roe is primarily associated with the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade, which granted the federal right to abortion. It's never been popular as a given name for either sex but is seen as a nickname for names such as Monroe and Rowan.

Rabbit

Sable is often associated with the Dynsaty soap opera, but it is actually a type of animal historically hunted for its fur. Sable is also used as a word for a warm, rich black color. Both associations carry hints of luxury.

Sable

<a href="https://nameberry.com/list/329/nature-baby-names">nature names</a>are in, and even fish names like Pike and Salmon are open for consideration.

Salmon

Projects the sleek and playful image of the aquatic mammal, plus that of the striking British-born Brazilian/Nigerian/Afro-Caribbean singer (born Sealhenry). 

Seal

Sorrel is a gentle, amber-hued herbal and autumnal name that's used most often to describe the color of a horse. Sorrell is a variant spelling. Both make excellent <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/351/names-for-autumn-babies">names for autumn babies</a> and can be used for either gender.

Sorrel

Salamander

Scorpion

Shark

Feline nickname for Tabitha — a bewitching vintage choice.

Tabby

Other wild animals like Fox, Wolf and Bear are catching on as baby names, and Tiger is a rarer option with several famous namesakes, including golf champ Tiger Woods, who was born Eldrick. Other famous Tigers include Indian actor Tiger Shroff, born Jai, and British actor Tyger Drew-Honey, who spells his name with a Y.

 Chinese martial artist Tiger Hu Chen is another well-known bearer. In Chinese culture, the tiger is considered the king of the animals and a major symbol of masculine yang energy, representing power, courage, and luck.

Tiger

Yes, nature lovers are starting to name their children after all forms of life, including fish, but consider carefully before you cast your line into these tease-infested waters. 

Trout

The kind of nickname name you wouldn't want your own child to get stuck with.

Turtle

Tamarin 

Tetra 

Tui 

Urial 

Viper

Vixen

Wolf is a name with a split personality. It can be seen as one of the fierce animal names, like Fox and Bear and Puma, with a touch of the werewolf, or it can be viewed as a quieter, Wolf Blitzer kind of name, fairly common in German (where is pronounced Vulf) and Jewish families, sometimes as a short form of Wolfgang, or even Wolfram or Wolfhart.

 CNN newscaster Blitzer inherited the name from his grandfather. Other Wolfs of note include British screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz, who was instrumental in the early James Bond films, painter Wolf Kahn, and the hero of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf, Wolf Larsen.

 
Despite all it has going for it, Wolf is relatively rare and has never been given to more than 80 babies in a single year. But now that Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott chose it for their infant son, Wolf is primed to climb the charts.

 Spelling variations Wolfe or Woolf push it into surname territory, while nickname Wolfie definitely domesticates it.

Wolf

Wallaby

Yabby 

On the rise as an independent name: Zander and Xander are both widely used can increasingly be found as characters in movies and on TV. 

Zander

Zebra 

Zebrule

Zeren 

Vana's list "Animal Names: Doe, Tiger and Elk" of 95 great name ideas: Addax  - Zeren !

Animal Names: Doe, Tiger and Elk

Like Cat, Lion and wolf.
Excluding birds and insects.