Uncommon Dog Names

There are common names for dogs, like Maggie, Max, and Ginger, but it’s always cool to do something original and give your pet an uncommon name.

Unfortunately, the rarer the name, the harder it is to document. So, we decided to create a database of the least common dog names, suggested by PetPlace.com readers like you!

Uncommon Dog Name Ideas

• 8-Ball
• 8-Lives
• Aden
• Ad-Rock
• Aika – Japanese for “little love”
• Airhead
• Airy
• Aja
• Ala
• Alexander the Great
• Alina
• Alley – “the name of one of my girls who was found in an alley”
• Allyway
• Alma Sonriente (Alma for short) – means “smiling soul”
• Alvin
• Alyeska
• Amber
• Ami-mai
• Anasazi – after the Anasazi Indians or ‘Sazi’ for short
• Andre
• Angelina Balerina
• Angus
• Anxiety Wrap
• Arbie
• Archemedes – Archie
• Archie
• Areti’ma (pronounced R-Ettea-Mah)
• Ari
• Ariel
• Aristophanes
• Aristotle
• Arizona
• AskHer
• AskHim
• Aspirin – gives their pet parents a headache
• Asthma
• Astro – after the dog from the cartoon “The Jetsons”
• Ateret
• Atticus – from Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
• Attitude
• Awesome
• Azrael
• Baba Booey
• BabyGirlRiley
• Balthazar
• Balto – for the famous dog that completed the serum run during the black plague that infected so many Alaskans
• Bam Bam – from The Flintstones
• Bambi Deer
• Bandit – “His eyes were so black. It was like he was wearing a mask!”
• Banshee
• Banshee Stardust
• Barfly
• Bark Obama
• Baskerville
• Beatrice
• Beauregard
• Bee-Bee
• Beebo
• Bennie
• Benorf
• Bernardo
• Beta
• Bettis – after Jerome “the Bus” Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers
• BIBA – after the 70’s store
• Big Red
• Biggity Brown
• Bijou
• Bill Clinton
• Bimbi
• Bionic
• Bismark
• Bivouac
• BL
• Blackie
• Blogger
• Blue
• Bo-Bo
• Bock
• Bogie
• Bokkie
• Boku
• Bonanza
• Bonehead Wiggle-butt – big head and wags his tail a lot
• Bonita – in Spanish means “Pretty Girl”
• Booboo
• Booger
• Boogie
• Bookbag
• Bookie
• Bootdonnie
• Bootsie
• Bootstrap Bill
• Bou-Tee-Waits
• Bowzer
• Boz
• Bregis
• Brewster
• Briggs
• Bristol
• Brooklynn
• Broom
• Buckles
• Buddy Holly
• Budweiser
• Bugger
• Buggie
• Bulldozer
• Bullet
• Bungee Cord
• Butterfinger
• Buttersworth
• Cairo
• Calendar
• Calloway
• Capers
• Capone
• Capri
• Captain Jack Sparrow – from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
• Cardiac
• Cardtrick (aka Diva)
• Carson
• Cash
• Casino
• Cassanova – very loving, but demanding of attention
• Cassidy
• Castle
• Catsups
• Cedes
• Cerebus – reminiscent of Cerberus, the three-headed dog in Greek and Roman mythology, because he chews as if he had three heads
• Chab – great for a lab/chow cross
• Chaco – after Chaco Canyon National Park
• Chai
• Chaia – pronounced “Kiya” – named after the Hebrew word for life, which is “CHAI”
• Challenger
• Chansey
• Chaos – first of the gods
• Charlie
• Chauncy Gardener – From the movie “Being There” with Peter Sellers
• Cheddar
• Chemmie – for chemistry
• Cherri Berri
• Cherry Tree
• Chevy
• Chewie
• Chewy
• Chicanery
• Chicken
• Chickie-Monkey
• Chieme – a famous Asian female singer
• Chimp
• Chinchilla – based on his coloring & the softness of his fur
• Chiro
• Choco
• Chops
• ChopSuey
• Christmas
• Chrysanthemum Joy
• Cinta (pronounced Chin Tah)
• Clapper
• Clarence
• Claudia
• Claypool
• Clean-X
• Clementine
• Cletus
• Clone
• Club
• Coats
• Cobwebb
• Coder
• Cody
• Coffee
• Colombo
• Colonel
• Columbus
• Come-on – because he wouldn’t come if you don’t say “come on”
• Compound
• Coochie
• Cooper
• Copernicus –”Copper”
• Corazon – heart in Spanish
• Corn
• Corona
• Coruba
• Coruba (male)
• Cosmo (Cos-dude)
• Countess Wihelmina of Pug Butt or Miss Minnie for short
• Coup
• Cowboy
• Cozmo
• Crap Weasel
• Crawford
• Cricket – she chirps
• Crimson
• Crimson Chin
• Crooks
• Cry Baby Jane – a dog that loves to talk… always
• Cryer
• Cubbie – looks like a bear cub
• Cubby
• Cupcake
• Curley
• Cuy
• Cyclone
• Cypress
• Cyril
• D.O.G. (Deeyogee)
• Dahnja
• Damio
• Dancer
• Danger
• Dara – which means “gift” in Bulgarian
• Dargo – for the character, Dargo, from the Sci-Fi show Farscape
• Darin
• Darth Vader
• Dash
• Daskeiki
• Davidson
• Daz
• Debra
• Decker
• Deja
• Delphyne – the mother of the monsters
• DeNiro – after the actor Robert DeNiro
• Derbyshier (Derby)
• Deucalion – from Greek and roman mythology, he was Prometheus’ son
• Deucy (dukey)
• Diamond
• Diary
• Diary
• Didhebite
• Didi
• Diego – for “San Diego”
• Diesel
• Digger – he digs a lot and he’s loud like Grave Digger
• Ding Bat
• Dingo Marie – a former stray mutt
• Divot
• Django – after the jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt
• Dobbie – from Harry Potter
• Doby – after the house elf in Harry Potter
• Doc – from Snow White
• Dogger
• Doggie Do
• Dolemite
• Doolittle
• Doorknob
• Dough Boy
• Dr. Spock
• Draino
• Dreifach – is German for “three-footed”
• Drexel
• Dublin
• Dudl
• Dundee
• Dunkin
• Duntada
• Easton
• Eastwood – for Clint Eastwood
• Echo
• Eclipse
• Edward Scissorjaws
• Effie
• Ehrixla
• El Nino
• Electra
• Ellie – Short for Ellinora
• Emperor
• Endo
• Eriatarka
• Erigal
• Espn
• Evergreen
• Everly
• Evie – short for Everest
• Evilness – Evil for short
• Exit
• Expresso
• Fairway
• Fat Boy
• Fat Chance
• Fat Girl
• Fatback
• Faulk
• Fell
• Felony
• Fenicia
• Fenster
• Fever
• Fibb
• Fiel – means faith, as in ‘faithful friend’ in Portuguese
• Fiji
• Findi
• Fireplug – used on a Dalmatian
• Fishbone
• Flash
• Flex
• Flo
• Fluffy George
• Flyin-Flynn
• Flynn
• Foster
• Foxburg
• Franic
• Frank
• Frankie – short for Franken-bunny
• Frats
• Frig
• Fry
• Fudge
• Fudgie
• Fuhwell
• Future
• FuzzButt
• Gala – after the apple
• Garage Boy
• Genevieve
• Genny
• Geoffrey
• Geordi
• Gertrude
• Gia
• Gidget
• Gildo
• Gimpie
• GinaRae
• Girlfriend
• Glasses Diddle Doodle
• Glory
• Godzilla
• Godzooky – Godzilla’s nephew from an old cartoon series
• Golly Gee
• Granite
• Grayson
• Gremlin
• Grimace – after the purple McDonald’s character
• GRITS – stands for Girl Raised In The South
• Gucci
• Guess – Response to the question “What’s its name?”
• Gunnar
• Guster
• Habibi Chun-Ji – Loosely translated as “Beloved of Heaven and Earth”
• Hadley – “for the town we adopted her in”
• Hairspray
• Half-a-face
• Halftime
• Hamlette
• Hammerhead
• Handsome
• Handsome Devil
• Harley – because he’s so small
• Heckle
• Helen Anne – named after Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan
• Herbie
• Hercules
• Hermoine – nickname Miney
• Heshel
• Highway
• Hiho
• Hipster
• Homer – The Simpson
• Honda
• Honey Bunny
• Hoover
• Hopie
• Hotdog
• Houdini – is the name of her brother who was always escaping from the crate
• Howard
• Huck
• Huckleberry
• Huggie Bear
• Hurley – he was a sick puppy, and “hurled” all over the place
• Huttser
• I-bee – “Because he always looks at you with his eyes saying “I’ll be good, I promise.”
• Icabaud
• Idayia – pronounced Eye-Day-Ya
• Ignorance
• Indy
• Ireland
• Isaiah
• Isbad – because he “is bad”
• Isis
• Ivan
• Ivy Boo boo
• Jabari – means God
• Jada
• Jaeger
• Jagger
• Jamima Puddle Duck
• Jammer Bammer
• Jareth the Goblin King
• Jawaharal Nehru
• Jay
• Jed – from the Beverly Hillbillies
• Jellybean
• Jeppetto
• Jerry
• Jeter – for Derek Jeter, of course
• Jib
• Jiggs
• Jinny
• Joey
• Joggs
• Johnny Cash
• Joker
• Jonah
• JoSeppe
• Journey
• Judy
• Juliette
• June
• June-Bug
• Jupitor
• Kaba – beautiful Alaskan dog name
• Kaelar – phonetic spelling of a Klingon name
• Kahlua
• Kalique
• Kalonna
• Kamiko – means ‘tortoise child’ in Japanese
• Kanawha – Native American for “sparkling water”
• Kanga
• Kansas – like the state
• Kaos – I named her “Kaos” (phonetics for chaos)
• Karlee
• Kayunguq – In Alaskan Aluttiq language, it means Storm
• KC
• Kemo Sabe
• Kenmore – found in Sears parking lot
• Keppi – for joy of life
• Keshnal
• Kharman
• Kiana
• Kid Courage (KC)
• Kilo
• Kiska – after one of the Aleutian Islands
• Kleo
• Kneepad
• K-Nine
• Koolaid
• Korsakov
• Kotzebue
• Koufax
• Kramer
• Krammer – because he always makes a clumsy entrance
• Kricket
• Kryten – named after the robot in my favorite TV series
• Kudzu – vine
• Kuza – Swahili for “praise”
• Kyeik – (Pronounced: Ky-E)
• Kylita
• Kyreeve
• Kyro
• Kyser
• Lace
• Lady Bird
• Laika – The first dog in space in the Soviet “muttnik” program
• Lali – means “Darling girl” in Hindu
• Lampshade
• Lance
• Landis
• Latte
• Leaves
• Lefty
• Leighlah (Layla) Falling Star
• Leon
• Lex Luthor
• Libby
• Liberty
• Lika – endearment in Romania (which means love) and means Lisa in Hawaiian
• L’il Bit
• Lil’ Lady
• Lilith – named after the ex-wife on TV’s Frasier
• Linux
• Little Girl
• Little Loco
• Longshanks
• Lucky number Slevin – 7th pup
• Lucy
• Lucyfur
• LuLuBelle
• Luther Sage
• Mab
• Mac
• Maddie
• Madeleine
• Mahogany
• Makita
• Mali Chito – which means “Storm” or “Big Wind” in the Choctaw language
• Mall
• Mancha – means “spot” in spanish
• Manchita – “little spot” in Spanish
• Mandel – yiddish for “almond”
• Maple
• Marco
• Marguerita
• Marguerite
• Mariner
• Maris
• Marlin
• Marmie
• Marple
• Mary Hellen Walton
• Maryann
• Marzapan or Marzi
• Matches
• Maude-Alida
• Mavis
• Maybe
• Maynard
• McClane – after John McClane in the Die Hard movies
• Meat
• Meatloaf
• Mehetabel (Bella)
• Meisho (Me-shoe)
• Melvie Koleen
• Meoko
• Metchee
• Mew
• Mia Marie
• Midnight Snack
• Mighty
• Mighty Mite
• Mike Tyson
• Miko
• Mildred
• Mini Scoob – cross of Mini-Me and Scooby Doo
• Minnie the Moocher
• Minus
• Miracle
• Misdemeanor (Missy)
• Misery
• Mishka
• Mister Tim burton
• Misty Blu
• Mitso
• Mitts
• Moe
• Moe Mojo
• Mojo Jojo
• Mokey Bob
• Moku – meaning island in Hawaiian
• Mole
• Molotov
• Mompeli
• Momster Meister
• Monarch
• Monday
• Monepenny
• Monet
• Moody Blue
• Moonshine (Moon)
• Morpheus
• Moxie
• Mr Biz
• Mr. Butters
• Mr. President
• Mr. Tugger Magoo – he would tug on our pants to get our attention
• Mrs Itsy
• Mrs. Snitchnose – after a witch in a book called Bangers and Mash
• Muckluck – after an Eskimo boot
• Mugwai
• Munchkin
• Munchy
• Munky
• Murdoch
• Mustard
• Muta
• My Left Foot,
• Myara
• Mydnyte – not that unusual except for the spelling
• Myrtle
• Mystic
• Nails
• Nanuck
• Naomi
• Napkin
• Narcole
• Narfnee
• Nash
• Nash
• Natasha Pepsi Bailey
• Navarr and Isabeau – from the movie Ladyhawke
• Nera
• Nibbles
• Nickle
• Nike
• Nisse
• Noodles
• Nosy Rosy
• Notebook
• Nyomah
• Oatmeal (Otis)
• Obi-Won-Konob
• Oblomov
• Octane
• Octivia
• Odor
• Okie Dokie – because of his positive attitude
• Old yeller
• Orejas
• Orson
• Oshi
• Osirus
• Othello
• O’Toole
• Otto
• Ottolynn
• Outlaw Josie Wales – after the Clint Eastwood character
• Owl
• Ozmosis – from an Ozzy Osbourne album
• Ozone
• Pacia
• Pacino – “He came to us with a scar over his eye and my husband called him Scarface, but I was afraid he’d get a complex, so we named him after Al Pacino, who starred in the movie.”
• Pagan or Pag
• Pajar
• Pallas – Athena’s girlfriend
• Pandora
• Paula
• Pavlov
• Peace
• Pebble
• Pele – after the “Hawaiian Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes”
• Peloni
• Pepe – after the skunk cartoon character
• Pepper
• Percy
• Perfect
• Petrus – after the famous Chateau Petrus
• Phoenix
• Picca
• Pig
• Piggly Wiggly
• Piggy Boy
• Pilgrim – for thanksgiving
• Pilot
• Pinky Toebiter or PinkyToe
• Pippen
• Pippin – from the movie The Lord of the Rings
• PIRATA – Spanish for Pirate
• Please
• Podunk
• Pogo – the 3 legged dog, named because he hops like a pogo stick when he walks
• Pokemon
• Poker
• Polaris
• Police
• Pollyanna
• Polo
• Pooh bear
• Pookey Shoo
• Pookie
• Pookie Mew
• Poolcover
• Poona
• Poopsie
• Poppet
• Poppy
• Porkchop
• Porsche
• Port
• Portia
• Posey
• Pots
• Potter
• Pres (President)
• Prince Charming
• Princess Chewibacca – chewed everything on hand
• Princess Tiger Lily
• Princeton
• Prism
• Prudence
• Puck – named after the fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Puddles
• Pudgy
• Pue Dog Long Tail
• Pumper
• Punkin Head
• Punky
• Puplet (Scooner)
• Pupperoni
• Purrsia – play on Persia & purring
• Purry Mason
• Puschkin
• Qittee
• Quarter
• Queentut
• Qwerk
• Raianne
• Rain
• Rainbow
• Rambunctious
• Ramona
• Ramses
• Ranch
• Rappily Fat
• Rasta – because Rastafarians wear their hair in dreadlocks
• Ratbait
• Raven
• Razzmatazz
• Razzy – short for Rasputin
• Reality
• Recess
• Reebok
• Reef – for Coral Reef
• Reggie
• Reiken
• Remington Steele
• Remy – after Rem Dog from the Red Sox
• Reno
• Report Card
• Retread
• Rico
• Ripcord
• Roadster
• Roast Beef
• Rodie – short for Rodeo
• Rollerskate
• Ronin
• Rookie
• Roo-ROO – because she never responded to Roo
• Rosalie Gail
• Rose
• Roudy – because he bounces off the walls
• Rover Dangerfield
• Rubber Ducky
• Rubicon
• Rufus
• Rug
• Rush Limbark
• Saavik
• Sacharov
• Sally
• Samara
• Sammie Lee
• Sa-Sa
• Sassafras
• Sassie
• Satin
• Saturn
• Sausage
• Sausage Patty
• Scathach – also known as Suki
• Schmeka
• Schnapps
• Scoobie
• Scooter
• Scrapper – very independent
• Scrapple
• Scrunt
• Seamare Hop-a-long
• Sebastian
• Secret
• See More
• Sehla
• Seiko
• Seja
• Selina
• Semetary
• Sequel
• Seraphina
• Serious
• Setzer
• Seven
• Seven
• Seymor
• Shady
• Shamas
• Shana
• Shannon O’Beans
• Shanti – peaceful
• Sheba Ann
• Shiba Inu
• Shiel
• Shindi (pronounced shin-D)
• Shipley
• Shoes
• Shoogie Boogie
• Shrub
• Sid
• Sierra
• Silly Putty
• Silverbell
• Sinatra
• Sir
• Sir Coltrane
• Sir Elton John
• Sir~viver
• Sirus
• Six Kilogram
• Skeezer
• Skittle
• Skittles
• Sklypedypedoo
• Skully
• Slipper
• Slippers
• Slyar
• Smasher
• Smitty
• Smudge
• Snapon
• Snaptight
• Sniffels
• Snigglefoot
• Snipper
• Snowcone
• Snuffleupagus – Sesame Street character
• Socrates
• Socrates
• Solan – a historical Greek figure
• Somo – Swahili for friend
• Sophia
• Spain
• Spanky
• Spark – she is little, but a live wire
• Sparx
• Spaz
• Spider
• Spirine (Sandy) – (pronounced Spier-Eene)
• Sponge
• Spook
• Spork
• Spork Chop
• Sport
• Spritzy
• Sprockett
• Squeaky
• Squeegie
• Squid
• Squidney Lou
• Starlight
• Stinky Pete
• Stitch
• Strayhorn
• Strider
• Stripes
• Stroganoff
• Stupidity
• Stupido
• Stymie
• Suchi
• Suga-Buga
• Sugar Pop
• Sugar Toast
• Sully
• Surabaya – “little city” in Indonesia
• Surge
• Surra – in Portuguese, “surra” means “spanking”
• Sweet Lips – George Washington’s dogs name
• Sweet Potato Louise
• Sylvie
• T.V.
• Tadmore
• Tahtonka – after “Dances with Wolves”
• Tala- Native American word for wolf
• Tamlin
• Tanker
• Tanoose
• Tanzie – Short for Tangerine (the marigold)
• Tarus
• Tasso
• Tater Tot
• Tax – born on April 15 (which is Tax day)
• Taxi
• Taxi
• TAYLEE
• Taz
• Tazz
• Teacake
• Teezles
• Tefal
• Tegar
• Tejas
• Teka Leeka
• Tekia
• Tela (full name Tela Sunrise) – “My son and his friends chose the name from the Phish song Princess Tela”
• Tenza
• Tequila
• Tereza
• Tess Edythe Toenails
• Thai-yoda
• The Brain
• The Fabulous Miss Boo
• Thea
• Theo
• Thomasina
• Thud
• Tickles
• Tidbit
• Tiddles
• Tiffani
• Tiggy
• Tights
• Tilkaracha – an ancient Siamese king
• Tilo
• Timid
• Timmy
• Tina
• Tippie
• Tobygoodboy
• Tocokki (Too Cocky)
• Toenails
• Toffie
• TomTom
• Tonka
• Toomba
• Tooter
• Tori – Short for Toronto
• Toulouse – after the Aristocat
• Traggie
• Trap
• Travis
• Trevor
• Trinity
• Trinity (Trinnie)
• Trinnie
• Triple
• Tripp
• Tristan – after the imperfect knight of Tristan and Isolde fame
• Trixie
• Trogdore
• Trout
• Tubac – Tubee for short, named after a little town called “Tubac” in AZ
• Tubby
• Tucker
• Tugger
• Tulip
• Tumbles
• Tummy Tum Tum
• Tundra
• Tunis
• Tupac
• Tupelee
• Tupelo Honey – from a famous Van Morrison song
• Turbo
• Turtle – because she is a little slow
• Twig
• Twinkie
• Twinkie
• Twizzler
• Twofer – from the old Payless slogan “Two for Five”
• Tybee
• Ty-Bo
• Typhon – the father of some of the best monsters in Greek Mythology
• Tyra
• Tysen
• Tzar
• Uno
• Usker
• Utley
• Vader – short for “Invader”
• Valdez
• Veda
• Veda Blue Paws
• Vegas
• Venamous – aka nickname Venny
• Venus
• Vester
• Veto
• Video
• Vikingo
• Vinegar
• Virginia
• Visage
• Vito
• Vocal
• Wag – because his tail is run by a motor that never stops
• Wallet
• Warner
• Warrior
• Way Cool
• Weasel
• Wee-wee
• Westie
• Wexford
• Whiskey
• Whisper – as in “soft as a whisper” for her coat
• Whispering Dawn
• Who – short for Who’s on First
• Wicca – named for a dog that is all white and bewitched her owner
• Wiggle
• Wild Thing
• Windy
• Wink
• Winkie
• Winslet
• Winston Churchill
• Witlof – Dutch for a kind of cabbage
• Wolfface
• Woogie
• Worthless
• Wyatt
• Xanax
• Xandra
• X-box
• Xena- because of her distinctive puppy cries
• Yahnabara
• Yahzee – one of the Navajo in the movie “Windtalkers”
• Yogi
• Yoshi – Mario Bros. pet dinosaur
• YouSing
• Yuengling – for Yuengling beer, the oldest brewery in the country
• Yuma
• Zakk – for guitar player is Zakk Wylde
• Zara
• Zenite (zen-eat) – means zenith in Portuguese
• Zephyr – from a whiff of a cattle ranch right after I picked up the little puppy
• Zeppelin
• Zeta
• Ziggy
• Zilla
• Zip
• Zipper
• Zloty
• Zodiac
• Zoi zoi
• Zoloft
• Zoltan
• Zorah
• Zoro
• Zoshie
• Zsa Zsa
• Zula
• Z-Z

More Pet Name Options

For tips on how to choose the right name, read What’s In a Name – Naming Your Dog.

Looking for something popular? Check out Top Names for Dogs and Top Names for Cats.

Are you looking for a dog name to go with personality traits for independent and playful dogs, funny dogs, cute or beautiful dogs, loving dogs, sweet dogs, big dogs or dogs with big personalities, small dogs, aggressive dogs or good watch dogs, smart dogs, not so smart dogs, strong dogs, fast dogs, ornery dogs, or talkative dogs?

Need a name for a dog based on hair coat color or type? Try these articles on white, yellow, red or brown, silver or grey, black, spotted, wrinkled and fluffy dogs.

Rescued a stray dog and need a name that fits? Click here.

Want a common dog name? How about cool dog names?

Do you want to know what the most common dog names mean? Learn about the “meaning” behind everyday Male dog names and Female dog names.