Animal Names for Babies

Mama's boy.

Derby might be considered a word name or a surname-name. In England, it would be pronounced darby, causing confusion with that similar name.

A surname style choice that could get you nicknames Bear and Ozzy, which is pretty cool. It comes from the Old English variant of the Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, which was introduced to England after the Norman conquest and used occasionally as a given name ever since. Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell used the spelling variation Osborne in her final novel, Wives and Daughters.

The kind of hybrid name -- it sounds like a blend of the popular Caleb and Colton -- that could catch on despite its lack of pedigree.

Cygnus is a northern constellation of the Milky Way, derived from the Latin word for "swan".

An interesting possibility if you're looking for a highly unusual animal name.

Cheasequah refers to the cardinal, associated with the sun in Cherokee culture.

In Cherokee, TS is pronounced like a J, which may lead to some pronunciation confusion. Nevertheless, Tsula is an appealing choice.

A neglected surname name that could substitute for the more common Gordon, which has in the past associated with the milk company and Elsie the Cow.

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.

A Navajo nature name with a cool, fresh sound.

Shakespeare's classic drunken fool. In fact, this name, carried to Britain by the Normans, was quite popular until it was brought into disrepute by the low-life character who haunts taverns with Falstaff in Shakespeare's history plays.

Dashing Latin surname name -- but also a well-known brand of Spanish packaged foods.

Buffaloes are honored in Cherokee culture, as they were notoriously difficult to hunt yet an important food source.

Feeny and its alternative spelling Feeney have several origins in Irish. They are anglicised forms of the surnames Ó Fiannaidhe (descendant of Fiannaidhe, meaning warrior), and Ó Fidhne (descendant of Fidhne, from the word for tree or wood). Feeny is also a place name in Northern Ireland, meaning "the woods. Although many Irish surnames are in style, like Keegan and Sullivan, this is one you've probably never met on a person before.

While we don't see many parents adopting Otter as a name for their own babies, Zooey Deschanel put this one in the lexicon when she used it as a middle name for her adorably-named daughter Elsie Otter. Even in the celebrisphere, Otter is one of the most unique baby names we've heard.

Rym is one of those simple-yet-uncommon names that's extremely rare in the US , where no baby girls were given the name last year. But it certainly can travel anywhere.

Like Bethany and Shiloh, a meaningful biblical place-name.

Faigy is notable as New York State's quirkiest favorite name, widely-used in the Hasidic community.

Dyveke is related to the Frisian word düveke, which means "dove", as well as to the name Dietlinde.