You’ve just brought your new bundle of (furry) joy home and — like any parent — you’re already smitten. You want to give this dog the best of EVERYTHING: The best food, the best toys, the best spot on the couch, the best dog walkers — even the best dog name. But those old standbys of “Fido” and “Spot” just won’t do for your precious pooch. What you need to do is find the ultimate in unique dog names.
But where do you start? How do you find this diamond in the ruff (pun absolutely intended)?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We scoured the internet for the most unique dog names that people have given their dogs, and put together this list of the 101 best unique dog names ever.
Unique dog names inspired by famous people
Female dog names
- Amelia (Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer)
- Boudica (Boudica, Queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe)
- Danica (Danica Patrick, American professional stock car racing driver)
- Ella (Ella Fitzgerald, American jazz singer)
- Frida (Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter)
- Harper (Harper Lee, American author)
- Harriet (Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist and humanitarian)
- Joan (Joan of Arc, French soldier during the Hundred Years War)
- Sacagawea (Sacagawea, Lemhi Shoshone guide for Lewis & Clark)
- Sally (Sally Ride, American physicist and astronaut)
Male dog names
- Amadeus (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer)
- Augustus (Augustus, the first Roman emperor)
- Bowie (David Bowie, English singer-songwriter and actor)
- Dante (Dante Alighieri, Italian poet)
- Diesel (Vin Diesel, American actor)
- Freud (Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis)
- Galileo (Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and scientist)
- Grover (Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States)
- Leif (Leif Erikson, Norse explorer)
- Napoleon (Napoleon Bonaparte, French military leader)
Unisex dog names
- Attila (Attila the Hun, tribal leader of the Huns)
- Bullock (Sandra Bullock, American actress)
- Faulkner (William Faulkner, American author)
- Houdini (Harry Houdini, American illusionist and performer)
- Lennon (John Lennon, English singer-songwriter)
- Monet (Claude Monet, French impressionist painter)
- Parks (Rosa Parks, activist during the Civil Rights Movement)
- Porter (Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter)
- Twain (Mark Twain, American author)
- Xerxes (Xerxes the Great, king of Persia)
Unique dog names inspired by food
- Cornchip
- Cannoli
- Giblet
- Nacho
- Noodle
- Olive
- Pickles
- Queso
- Scampi
- Tater Tot
Unique dog names inspired by literature
Female dog names
- Arya (from “Game of Thrones“)
- Celie (from “The Color Purple“)
- Desdemona (from “Othello“)
- Hazel (from “The Fault in Our Stars“)
- Hermione (from “Harry Potter“)
- Jo (from “Little Women“)
- Katniss (from “The Hunger Games“)
- Lolita (from “Lolita“)
- Matilda (from “Matilda“)
- Portia (from “The Merchant of Venice“)
Male dog names
- Beowulf (from “Beowulf“)
- Ender (from “Ender’s Game“)
- Gale (from “The Hunger Games“)
- Heathcliff (from “Wuthering Heights“)
- Holden (from “Catcher in the Rye“)
- Ishmael (from “Moby Dick“)
- Macbeth (from “Macbeth“)
- Quixote (from “Don Quixote“)
- Randle (from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest“)
- Zhivago (from “Dr. Zhivago“)
Unisex
- Amory (from “This Side of Paradise“)
- Bean (from “Ender’s Game“)
- Cash (from “As I Lay Dying“)
- Dallas (from “The Outsiders“)
- Darcy (from “Pride & Prejudice“)
- Finn (from “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn“)
- Gatsby (from “The Great Gatsby“)
- Jekyll (from “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde“)
- O’Hara (from “Gone With the Wind“)
- Puck (from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream“)
Unique dog names inspired by mythology
Greek & Roman mythology
Norse mythology
Unique dog names inspired by sports
- Arnie (Arnold Palmer, former professional golfer)
- Beckham (David Beckham, former English soccer player)
- Fenway (Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox)
- Gretzky (Wayne Gretzky, former Canadian hockey player for the New York Rangers)
- Hamm (Mia Hamm, former American soccer player)
- Jeter (Derek Jeter, former baseball player for the New York Yankees)
- Manning (Peyton Manning, former American football player)
- McCovey (Willie McCovey, former baseball player for the San Francisco Giants)
- Ortiz (David Ortiz, former baseball player for the Boston Red Sox)
- Pele (Pele, former Brazilian soccer player)
- Wrigley (Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs)
