Boy Dog Names That Start With W

  1. Wilde
    • Origin:

      English surname, variation of Wild, English word name
    • Meaning:

      "undomesticated, uncultivated"
    • Description:

      The final -e takes this from a daring word name to a literary honor name, for the inimitable Irish author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, infamous for his wit and flamboyance.
  2. Wyndham
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from the windy village"
    • Description:

      This artistic and aristocratic surname is a bold and daring choice, but with nature inspired names like Wren on the rise, and surnames-as-first-names being in vogue, Wyndham was a fast riser in 2023.
  3. Winthrop
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "friend's village"
    • Description:

      Proper Bostonian.
  4. Wild
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Asking for trouble.
  5. Witt
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "a talent for banter or persiflage"
    • Description:

      In the old days, this might have been a short form for Dewitt, but today it's more likely to appear as a witty word name. We approve.
  6. Wolfie
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Wolfgang, German
    • Meaning:

      "traveling wolf"
    • Description:

      A domesticated take on Wolf, if the animal name is too ferocious for your liking. Wolfie has never charted as a given name in the US, but that may soon change now that Wolf names are of interest following Kylie Jenner's baby name change.
  7. Willard
    • Origin:

      English from German
    • Meaning:

      "resolutely brave"
    • Description:

      Unfortunate identification with an army of rats in the movie of the same name.
  8. Warrick
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "strong leader who defends."
    • Description:

      Warrick has recently come into the spotlight as the character Warrick Brown on the TV show CSI. The more conventional spelling is Warwick, a medieval English noble name.
  9. Waldo
    • Origin:

      German, pet form of names such as Waldemar
    • Meaning:

      "to rule"
    • Description:

      Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson adds a measure of backbone to the name.
  10. Westley
    • Origin:

      Variation of Wesley
    • Meaning:

      "west meadow"
    • Description:

      This variation of Wesley moved into the Top 1000 among boys' names in the US in 2016, perhaps because it makes the name more Western, with the cowboy nickname West., or because parents have taken inspiration from the protagonist of the movie The Princess Bride.
  11. Wally
    • Origin:

      English, diminutive of Walter or Wallace
    • Description:

      A Leave It to Beaver/old comic-strip name, vacationing for years with the Griswolds in WallyWorld, but now back as WALL-E?
  12. Walken
    • Origin:

      Australian Aboriginal
    • Meaning:

      "rainbow"
    • Description:

      One of the few rainbow names that is masculine, Walken is a Noongar Aboriginal word.
  13. Winton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "friend's farm"
    • Description:

      See WYNTON.
  14. Wilkie
    • Origin:

      Scottish surname from a diminutive of William
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection"
    • Description:

      William was such a popular name, thanks to the Conquerer, in early England that it gave rise to a range of nicknames, including the distinctly Scottish Wilkie. Heard mostly as a surname these days, it's the middle name of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's son James and the first name of writer Collins. While Wilkie could make an adorable short form for a little boy, we'd recommend a more substantial full name such as, well, William.
  15. Wellington
    • Origin:

      English surname from place name
    • Meaning:

      "people living in the hamlet in the cleared area near the temple"
    • Description:

      Wellington is a tony-sounding English surname turned baby name by pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who calls her son Wells for short. It's also the middle name of one of the Sweet Home sextuplets, Blu Wellington.
  16. Wrigley
    • Origin:

      Surname name
    • Description:

      A name that's long been popular for dogs on Chicago's North Side is now gaining traction among human babies. Wrigley Field is the Chicago Cubs' historic ballpark, originally named after the Wrigley Company, which made and sold chewing gum.
  17. Werther
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "worthy warrior"
    • Description:

      In literature identified with The Sorrows of Young Werther -- not much to wish on a child.
  18. Wales
    • Origin:

      Place name
    • Description:

      Place names for boys are few and far between; this one would make a singular choice. Prince William of Wales uses this as a surname when required, as in his military life; Jimmy Wales is the entrepreneur behind Wikipedia, Clint Eastwood played the eponymous character Josey (!) Wales in the 1976 The Outlaw Josey Wales.
  19. Windsor
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "riverbank with a winch"
    • Description:

      Windsor may have male references, such as Britain's royal House of Windsor and a tie's windsor knot, but this name also has a definite feminine feel, as in Windsor Rose. That seems appropriate, as Windsor is used equally these days for boys and girls.
  20. Whiskey
    • Origin:

      English from Gaelic
    • Meaning:

      "water of life"
    • Description:

      Brandy's son, Sherry's grandson.