Dare To Be Different With Truly Unique Dog Names

By
Lucy Easton
-
91
unique dog names - for black labs and other dogs

You are unique, and so is your new puppy. Originality isn’t an impossible dream, and you can come up with a truly creative dog name for your furry friend with a splash of eccentric inspiration.

The only way to truly individually name your pet is to start from a premise that other people haven’t yet explored.

Sure, foodie dog names inspired by cute candy bars feel a bit different to your classic human names for puppies. But when you meet your seventh Hershey in the dog park the doubts about divergence from the norm inevitably start to creep in.

Unique dog names that you won’t find anywhere else!

Today you’re going to go somewhere else on your dog naming journey. Jumping off from our lists of ideas that don’t match your typical dog names lists at all.

unique dog names

Excessive Syllables

You want to keep your new dog’s name short. It’s easier for your puppy to learn their name as a recall command when it is brief. Long vowel sounds and harsh consonants also make for clearer more recognizable dog names.

But if you want to whistle train the recall command, then it doesn’t matter if your dog is called Sir Timothy Gladis The Eighteenth, if that’s what floats your boat.

Unique Female Dog Names

A unique dog name is one that no one else has used before. Diving into the past, picking an usual flower, or instrument, or extending the tempo of a normal name can really get you there. These girl’s names for dogs have interesting meanings.

  • Anastasia (resurrection)
  • Peony
  • Evangelica (gospel)
  • Angelica (aromatic plant)
  • Elizabetta (promised to God)
  • Alexandrina (man’s defender)
  • Lonicera (honeysuckle)
  • Artemisia (a herb with feathery leaves)
  • Orchid
  • Demetria (follower of Demeter, goddess of corn)
  • Tilia (lime tree)
  • Gloriana (shining glory)
  • Alessandra
  • Casseopeia
  • Henrietta
  • Azalea
  • Octavia (eighth child)
  • Stephanie (crown or garland)
  • Magdelena (woman of Magdala)
  • Philadelphia
  • Violetta (purple flower)
  • Serendipity
  • Alicia (noble)
  • Mandolin
  • Rosalinda
  • Louisiana
  • January
  • Annabella (loving or lovable)
  • Calathea
  • Wilhelmina

Unique Dog Names For Boys

Some of these rare male dog names have more than your average number of syllables for a pet name. Most can be abbreviated very nicely (think Bart, Zac, and Vinny). And again, you can turn to music, nature, and literature for your inspiration.

  • Emiliano (eager)
  • Banjo
  • Archimedes (ancient Greek Scientist)
  • Benjamin (son of the right hand)
  • Zither
  • Octavius (eighth child)
  • Oboe
  • Valentino (strength, health)
  • Flute
  • Bartholomew (son of furrows)
  • Vincenzio (the conqueror)
  • Zacarius (God remembers)
  • Montgomery (man power)
  • Horatio (timekeeper)
  • Gibson (guitar)
  • Giovanni (gift from God)
  • Harman (guitar)
  • Constantine (steadfast)
  • Lute (instrument)
  • Fransisco (free man)
  • Crataegus (hawthorn)
  • Augustine (magnificent)
  • Meadow
  • Maximilian (the greatest)
  • Randolph (wolf shield)
  • Fender
  • Leonardo
  • Trumpet
  • Ferdinand (the traveler)
  • Humphrey (peaceful warrior)
  • Salix (willow)
  • Archibald (brave one)
  • Cello (instrument)
  • Remington

Latin Names for Everyday Things

Scientific or Latin names for familiar objects, and even animals, can be a really fun way to think of your most distinctive dog names.

  • Metum – Goal
  • Gloria – Glory
  • Arma – Weaponry
  • Ilex – Holly
  • Main – Morning
  • Natura – Nature
  • Nox – Night
  • Aureus – Golden
  • Angelus – Angel
  • Canis – Dog
  • Barba – Beard
  • Aranea – Spider Web
  • Mons – Mountain
  • Anser – Goose
  • Ligna – Wood
  • Lacus – Lake
  • Bovis – Cattle
  • Cuprum – Copper
  • Aqua – Water
  • Accipiter – Bird of prey

Periodic Dog Names

If you come from a science background like me, you’ll have numerous rhymes for remembering the periodic table drilled into your brain. And although they’ve been little to no use to you since you left college, they still remind you of their existence from time to time. And funnily enough, you’ll agree that these weird words make cool dog names too!

  • Boron
  • Carbon
  • Neon
  • Iron
  • Nickel
  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Tin
  • Iodine
  • Xenon
  • Gold
  • Mercury
  • Lead
  • Radon

Color Inspiration

Have you considered diving into your favorite color palettes to get pet name inspiration? The words are familiar yet out of context. So although they can be a unique way of naming your dog, they aren’t jarring in that unfamiliar way some of your more unusual pet names can be.

  • Cherry
  • Vermillion
  • Rust
  • Oyster
  • Sangria
  • Ruddy
  • Garnet
  • Mulberry
  • Emerald
  • Jam
  • Flax
  • Marmalade
  • Cobolt
  • Blush
  • Pickle
  • Yam
  • Khaki
  • Brick
  • Rosewood
  • Heliotrope
  • Azure
  • Tangelo
  • Bubblegum
  • Jade

Dare To Be Different

When you are looking for original pet naming ideas, you should bounce off topics you are fond of. It’s a great way to create quirky names that aren’t just different, but meaningful to you.

Why not write your favorite hobby in the center of a piece of paper, and then scatter related words around it in a splatter diagram. Then you can circle your favorites!

The Labrador Handbook by Pippa Mattinson(paid link)

Odd dog names don’t have to be jarring or weird, they can be really beautiful. And searching for a topic that touches your heart is a great way to get there.

The Labrador Site Founder

Pippa Mattinson is the best selling author of The Happy Puppy Handbook, the Labrador Handbook, Choosing The Perfect Puppy, and Total Recall.

She is also the founder of the Gundog Trust and the Dogsnet Online Training Program 

Pippa's online training courses were launched in 2019 and you can find the latest course dates on the Dogsnet website

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

91 COMMENTS

  1. A few names that may/may not be on these lists:
    * Calypso “Callie”
    * Halo
    * Jacey/Jaycee/Jaycie
    * Jalyn/Jalen/Jaylen/Jaylon
    * Eden; Evie/Evee
    * Winston
    * Jax/Jaxon
    * Jessalyn/Jesslyn/Jezzlyn
    * Nixon
    * Khalessi

  3. I love the name Nala for a girl Frenchie, OR Copper for a boy Golden Retriever. Both of these names suit them for their breeds, and their type of gender as well! 🙂

  4. I like the name “Shay.”
    It’s simply nice, soft and easy.
    I think it’s a girl’s name; I’m going to check it out bc if it is unisex, I might call my new boy Yorky “Shay.”

  5. I am getting female puppy cross Aussie Shepherd and Lab want to name her Tika my daughter doe not want me to name that.
    Where does the name Tika come from?
    A user from Texas, U.S. says the name Tika is of Native American origin and means “Shine”.
    What is a Tika in Nepal?
    Tika is one of the important auguring good luck items in the religious and cultural rituals of Nepal especially in Hindu families. People offer this power to honor gods and apply in return in their forehead as red dot after visiting temples. … The tika also symbolizes good luck, bravery, auspicious and many more.
    Any opinion

  6. my pup supposed to be a labradoodle but ended up 80% lab and 15% poodle. He is all Yellow except his right ear it’s dark Black. He weighs over 100 lbs. We settled on Mr. MaGoo, kids and moms love him and MaGoo loves back, I feel like the Good Humor Man!

  7. My daughters were huge Harry Potter book fans. So we named our a new puppy, Snidget, which was the original golden snitch used in the game of Quidditch. We loved her name!

  8. I have a puppy 10 weeks old I’m planning on naming it holly, what do you think? I got it near Christmas so I thought it would be fun!

  11. i had my dog for three years and she is so happy. 3 years ago they told us that they named her klitter but we wanted to shorten the name to klitt and that has been her name since

  14. I am about to buy a shih tzu puppy that will be brown and white or black and white and the name i have thought is snickers…. Please tell me if you guys have other name suggestions..

  15. I like the names Ozzy and Franklin for a dog beacuse they are the names of my two dogs i have now, and Jack was my old dog. Can you put those three on the list too please? They are all male doggies.

  17. We got a dog when our son was 4. He was starting to learn to read. When we visited the breeder he was so excited. He was sitting on the floor and one of the puppies came over and sat in his lap. He looked up at me with the biggest smile and said “D for dog!” really fast, hence our puppy, the one that away in his lap was named Dfordog, shortened to Dfer. Dfer was his shadow and friend for 16 years.

  20. My English bulldog cross Jack Russell is Wiggles. When I went to get her I told.my friend I didn’t know what I would.call her,she replied don’t worry she will name herself. When we got there they handed her to me and she was so excited she nearly wiggled.right out of my arms,hence she became Wiggles.She is almost 2 years and.she still lives up to her name

  27. Apart from India and Africa, I liked all names. But this names for a dog sounds very low. I think you should remove them as they are the name of place where the this names are kept sacred. So it may gonna be embarrassing in front of people from respective nations.

  29. I can think of many unique male names but I can’t find the one I love for a female rott that I’m getting in a few days. I don’t want one that is long cuz they answer better to shorter names. I don’t want a sissy name either.

  32. When I was a teenager my mother had a friend who had two dogs. One was a female black lab , her name was Easy. The other was a male dog , not sure what kind dog he was but when they were trying to name him the dog wouldn’t listen for nothing , till one day she said Damnit come here!!!! The dog came to her fast. So that became his name Damnit .

  34. We have a blood hound named Jimmy Dean and my brother’s pit is names Elby my favorite dog name has been dishes though, just some suggestions

  35. My nine-year old chihuahua’s name is Tammy Tabita. She also responds to the names Poho, Chihua, Chiwi, and more. My sister wants a siberian husky for her birthday and we are looking for an original name for it. Please give us suggestions if you have. She likes star names.

  37. I have had my pit mix since she was 8 weeks old. She is smaller 53lbs and the most loveable pup ive ever encountered. I named her Sadiqaa (sah-day-ka). I am part Lebanese and in arabic sadiqaa means “my friend”. So when i call her “come here Sadiqaa” im really saying “come here my friend”. Its my own original idea and it’s a very meaningful thing to me.

  38. I have a tri-colored Chiweenie. I named him Tripp (triple – 3rd) also means traveler. I get comments on his name all the time. Unique and different.

  39. We adopted an Akita (brindled) someone at the humane society caller her Ingrid, we tried on other names but the only one she noticed was Lady our beloved and sorely missed Lab/Boarder Collie. Her face looks like a bear I suggested Berri or bear for short but she answers to Ingrid so that our unusual dogs name.

  44. I’m fostering 3 puppy’s and we get to name then we chose penny for a girl,Scooter for a boy,and Dexter for another boy dog.I hope these Pitbull and Boxer mixed puppies love their names.

  49. More unique dog names…our female Alaskan Malamute’s name was Cheekah (short for Checotah, an Alaskan tribe). Our Golden’s name was Bacchus (pronounced bock’-us, the roman god of wine). Our Duck Tolling Retrievers are Nash (male), adopted name was Dash. Didnt want to change it too much. We like Nashville. Nova is our female. Like the definition of a super nova.

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