Your name is part of who you are—an important part of your identity. It also allows you to identify people around you and address people in your life. When you adopt a dog, it’s important that they have their own name as well. However, choosing a unique name that matches your dog’s personality and pleases everyone in the family is no small task. In this article, we’ll help make choosing a name easier and propose more than 100 female and male dog names to inspire you.
How do I choose the best name for my dog?
Finding a name for your dog is an important step when it comes to their training and education. Therefore, it’s best to take the time to find the best name possible so that you don’t feel the need to change it later on. If you change their name after they are already used to the one they were given, it could confuse them. Here are a few simple tips to help you choose a great name for your dog.
Prioritize a short name
To begin with, it’s best to keep the name simple. For example, consider choosing a name that is short and made up of only two syllables. Additionally, the name should easy to say and remember. Dogs are able to understand names that end with a vowel better. Also, when you change your tone when you call your dog’s name, it helps attract their attention and makes them react faster. To test if the name is simple enough, repeat it several times in a row. If you are able to repeat the name many times without difficulty, it’s a great choice.
Avoid names with a negative connotation
It’s always best to avoid names with a negative connotation. For example, we suggest avoiding names such as Danger, Tornado, Mean, and Terror. It’s better to choose a name that brings up more positive thoughts, such as Power, Wisdom, and Joy.
Avoid names that sound like commands
Before choosing a name, think about the commands that you intend on teaching your dog. Try to avoid names that sound like the words you will use when you command your dog to do something. If you have other animals as well, their names should also not sounds like orders. This will help keep your dog from getting confused.
Have you heard of the French LOF rule?
Le Livre des Origines Français (LOF) or French Origins Register is a French pedigree dog register that has been proposing letters for the names of dogs since 1926. The LOF rule requires dog owners to choose a name based on the letter that is chosen for the year. Do you know who is required to follow this rule?
How does the French LOF rule work?
Determining a letter to be used the entire year allowed them to solve problems caused by late registering that did not respect chronological order. This decision made it easier to search the register and determine the year of birth.
Letters that are not easy to find a dog’s name for have been removed from the list. These letters are K, Q, W, X, Y, and Z. The letter for the year 2024 is “V”. It’s important to note that if your dog is registered under a name that follows the French LOF rule, you can still decide to call your dog something else at home.
This rule doesn’t concern everyone
Choosing a name for your dog based on the LOF letter rule is not mandatory for everyone. This rule only applies to pedigree dogs that are registered to the LOF. If you are not intending to register your dog to this, you can call your dog whatever you wish.
Ideas to help you choose the perfect name
While the French annual letter system allows people who are not feeling inspired to choose a name easily, others would consider this to be a constraint. If you are not counting on registering your dog to the LOF, you can decide to choose a name based on their breed. Dogs that are calm (such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Golden Retriever, or the Pug) could be given names such as “Buddha” or “Harmony”.
If you have an energetic dog (Border Collie, Jack Russel Terrier, Afghan Hound etc.), you can consider names such as Dynamite, Champion, or Sprint. Large dogs can be called Colossus, Hulk or Titan. On the other hand, a small dog can be called Cutie Pie or Tiny. It’s great to choose names that match the character traits of your dog. Consider doing research to understand the particularities of their breed.
Classic names are a simple alternative to the French LOF letter system. You can call your dog a name such a Rex or Fido. These names are great because they are easy to remember. In addition, they are perfect for any breed. Another common practice is to choose the name of a popular sports person, celebrity, or character from a film. No matter which option you choose, make sure you choose a name that the entire family loves.
Name ideas for male dogs
Choosing a name for a pet is not an easy task. To help you in this quest, we are proposing over 100 male dog names!
Over 20 male dog names starting with a “V”
If you like the French model and would love to name your dog using 2024’s letter, here is a list of names that start with a “V”. These names are also great if you simply like the sound of names that start with a “V”.
Vortex
Valiant
Viper
Vesper
Vandal
Volt
Valor
Vector
Viridian
Vermont
Valeo
Vincent
Vanguard
Volume
Valerian
Vador
Vroum
Vegas
Vision
Vassia
Velcro
Verdict
Viago
Vic
Vinci
Vlad
Vodka
Voltaire
Volcano
Over 50 name ideas for male dogs
Would you rather choose a name that doesn’t start with a “V”? Here are a few ideas! While the names do not cover all the letters of the alphabet, there is a wide variety of names to choose from!
| A | Achilles Adonix Ajax Apollo Ares Aaron Apricot Adam Aiko Akira Akita Alabama Aladdin |
| B | Boy Bali Baldo Barry |
| C | Charlie Cooper Coco Chuck Chester Chronos |
| D | Daiko Dali Dan Dandy Dalton |
| E | Eden Enzo Eddy Edmond Elfy Elf Eliott Eros Ether |
| H | Hades Hermes Hercules Hypnos |
| I | Icarius |
| J | Jason Jewel |
| K | Kratos |
| M | Minos Morpheus |
| P | Pallas Poseidon Pluto |
| S | Styx |
| T | Triton |
| U | Ulysses |
| Z | Zephyr Zeus |
Name ideas for female dogs
We know how hard it can be to choose a name! But have no fear! Our long list of names should help inspire you!
Over 20 female dog names starting with the letter “V”
If you like names that start with a “V” or like the rule established by the LOF, consider choosing one from this list! We’ve got a ton of names to choose from!
Viva
Vera
Valencia
Vespera
Venus
Violet
Violetta
Velvet
Vanilla
Vivara
Valkyrie
Vixie
Virtue
Vanda
Verona
Vaiana
Valenne
Vanny
Veve
Voxie
Vogue
Vily
Vicky
Vespa
Victoire
Vivi
Vivienne
Over 50 names for female dogs
Similar to the list of male dog names, not at letters are covered. However, we hope that you will find one here that inspires you!
| A | Athena |
| C | Calliope Calypso Cleo |
| D | Daphne |
| E | Echo |
| F | Fiona Flora Farah Feline Friska Freyja Fibi Feria |
| G | Gaby Gaelia Gioia Gena Georgia Gelsa Gesma Gigi Glee Gaia Gypsy |
| H | Harmony Hera Hestia |
| I | Ice Idol Ika Ibiza Indra Inna Inoa Irka Iris |
| J | Joy Jaia Janis Jinx Jane Jenna Jelly Jess Jessy June |
| L | Lisa |
| M | Medusa |
| N | Nala Nami Nancy Nahla Nini Nemesis Nyx |
| O | Olya Olive |
| S | Scylla Selena |
| T | Thalassa Thalia |
| U | Uranus |
So many different ideas! Remember: it’s best to take the time necessary to find a name that matches your dog well and that everyone in your family can agree on!