Boy puppy names

Here's a list of boy puppy names sure to suit your new male dog - great boy dog names from classical mythology, history, music and modern times. (Want to name a female puppy instead? Try our Girl puppy names page.)

Boy puppy names

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

A

Ace	For the puppy who's your number one or the very best at all he does
Achilles	The greatest Greek warrior in the Trojan War – a great name for the heroic puppy
Alibi	For the puppy who needs one for his naughty deeds!
Amigo	Spanish: 'a friend'
Angus	One of the great boy puppy names for a Scottish breed: a boy's name in Scotland and the name of a Scottish county
Archie	Short for Archibald, a German name meaning 'distinguished and bold'
Arrow	For the pup who flies straight and true, like an arrow from a bow!
Atom	For a tiny but dynamic puppy
Attila	King of the Huns in the 5th century – a successful invader
Aussie	Short for an Australian – perfect for Australian Cattle Dogs or Australian Shepherd

B

Basil	A lovely aromatic herb and also a male name from the Greek meaning 'royal'
Bear	For the large, robust, hairy puppy!
Benji	A lovable movie dog – great for a small mixed breed and one of the popular male puppy names
Biscuit	One of several great boy puppy names for a smallish golden brown pup – he'll have you coming back for more
Blaze	A bright flame. Also the name given to a white mark down the forehead of dogs, horses, cows and other animals.
Bobby	Short for Robert and also the nickname for British policemen – for the dependable puppy
Boris	A Slavic name meaning 'fight' – for a big, bold puppy or for a Borzoi, after the character in the movie The Lady and the Tramp

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C

Caesar	The title of the Roman emperors. For the imperious puppy.
Calico	Often used to describe an animal with a spotted or parti-coloured coat
Captain	For the puppy who's the leader of the pack
Casper	For a puppy who's as pale as a ghost (like Casper the Friendly Ghost)
Cheetah	For the long, lean, speedy puppy
Chestnut	One of the lovely boy puppy names for a reddish brown dog
Comet	A celestial body streaming across the sky – just like that speedy puppy racing past
Cricket	A small, jumping, noisy creature – perfect for the little bouncy pup!

D

Dandy	For the dog who is finicky about his appearance
Dart	For the swift one
Dash or Dasher	Another speedy pup who has a touch of natural flair
Diablo	Spanish: 'Devil'. For the very naughty puppy!
Digby	An English name. Sir Kenelm Digby was a respected courtier and diplomat in the 17th century. One of the noble, stately boy puppy names.
Dodger	For that crafty, devious pup who takes what he can!
Drover	For the working dog who herds cattle or sheep. Or perhaps for the puppy who likes to round up his humans? Good one for a Border Collie.
Duke	A noble ruler
Dusty	For the country pup
Dynamite	For the explosive, high energy puppy!

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E

Ebony	A durable wood, often black
Echo	For the puppy who keeps coming back!
Einstein	For the cleverest puppy, always coming up with new ideas

F

Fang	One of the popular boy puppy names, particularly in fiction. White Fang was a wolf dog in a Jack London novel and there have been dogs named Fang in several TV programs and movies.
Felix	Latin: 'happy, lucky'
Fido	Latin: 'I am faithful'. A classic, old-fashioned male puppy name
Finnegan	One of the popular Irish boy puppy names, great for the Irish Wolfhound, Irish Setter or Irish Water Spaniel
Fizz	For that irrepressible pup!
Flash	Another speedy puppy, who's gone in a flash
Flint	For the hardy puppy
Fritz	A good name for a German breed, such as the German Shepherd Dog. A German nickname for Friedrich or Frederick.
Fudge	For that sweet, soft, brown puppy – the one you just can't resist!

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G

Gatsby	Jay Gatsby was the central character of the 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald. A debonair, mysterious puppy.
Genghis	Genghis Khan was the 13th century founder of the Mongol empire. For that bold, adventurous puppy, who'll lead you who knows where.
Genie	A spirit. For the pup who always seems to pop up out of nowhere.
Gremlin	For the puppy who gets into everything – and messes it up!
Greystoke	A village and castle in England but also the real name of Tarzan (Lord Greystoke).
Groucho	Groucho Marx was a famed American comedian. For that cheeky pup who gets all the laughs.
Gus	Short for Augustus or Gustave. Augustus, from 'august', meaning 'majestic' or 'eminent', was the name given to Octavian when he became emperor of Rome.
Gyro	A word for 'ring' or 'spiral'. For the energetic puppy who just keeps going round and round.

H

Hachiko	This was the name of an Akita in Japan who greeted his master every day at the train station. One day, his master died at work but Hachiko continued to faithfully wait at the station every day for 10 years, until he too died. A Japanese movie about the life of Hachiko was made in 1987 and an American movie, Hachiko: A Dog's Story, was released in 2009. One of the great boy puppy names for a Japanese breed.
Hamish	A Scottish name, perfect for the Scottish Terrier or a West Highland White Terrier
Havoc	For the puppy who causes destruction wherever he goes!
Hercules	A celebrated hero in classical mythology, who had great strength
Holmes	From Sherlock Holmes, the great fictional detective. For the investigative puppy.
Hopi	A Pueblo Indian people from northern Arizona. 'Hopi' means 'peaceable'. For a calm, friendly puppy.
Houdini	For the pup who can escape from anything! Harry Houdini was a famed Hungarian escapologist.
Hurricane	For that destructive puppy who whirls through your life

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I

Imp	For that little mischievous puppy.
Indie	Indiana Jones's nickname in the movies starring Harrison Ford. For an adventurous puppy.
Inky	One of several great boy puppy names for a black dog
Iota	The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet or a very small amount. Good name for one of the toy dog breeds.
Ivan	The Slavic equivalent of John.
Ivor	An Old Norse name meaning 'bow' and 'warrior'.

J

Jake	Short for Jacob
Jasper	A red, yellow or brown quartz – a good name for a yellow Labrador Retriever, perhaps. Also a masculine name, a variation of Casper.
Jazz	For that cool, hip and spirited puppy
Java	A slang word for coffee. For a dark brown puppy who peps you up in the morning.
Jester	A clown or buffoon.
Jet	Another name for a speedy puppy or perhaps one that is as black as jet, a black coal used in jewellery making.
Jethro	A male Hebrew name, meaning 'abundance'
Jupiter	The largest planet in our solar system and the supreme god in Roman mythology. Great name for that huge guard dog.

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K

Kaiser	The German word for Caesar, a king or ruler. Another of the great boy puppy names for a German Shepherd.
Khan	A title for a ruler in Turkic and Mongolian languages
Kilo	For a tiny puppy from one of the toy dog breeds who won't weigh much more than a kilogram when grown!
King	For the noble puppy who's cut out to be a leader
Kobi	A Hungarian variation of Jacob. Also 'Kobe' in Japanese, Japan's sixth largest city.
Kuro	Japanese: 'black'

L

Laddie	From 'lad', an affectionate name for a young man
Lancelot	The greatest of King Arthur's knights
Leo	Greek: 'lion'
Loki	In Scandinavian mythology, a trickster god

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M

Magnus	Latin: 'great'
Major	A military officer
Marmaduke	The name of a Great Dane in a comic strip
Merlin	A legendary wizard in the King Arthur stories. For that magical, mysterious puppy.
Micro	For a very tiny puppy
Midnight	For a black puppy, dark as night
Ming	A Chinese dynasty that lasted from 1368 to 1644. A great name for a Shih Tzu or Pekingese.
Monty	Short for Montgomery. It was the affectionate name for Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery of World War II fame.
Murphy	An Irish surname, meaning 'strong, superior' or 'descendant of a sea warrior'
Mustang	A small, wild hardy horse descended from Spanish horses. For the free-spirited, tough little dog.

N

Napoleon	Napoleon Bonaparte was the famous French general and emperor of France. For the poodle with grand ideas, perhaps?
Nelsonon	Viscount Horatio Nelson was a British admiral, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar
Nickleby	Nicholas Nickleby is the hero of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. Nicholas is devoted to his friends.
Nikko	Nikko is a city in Japan. It is also the name of a Buddhist priest in Japanese history.
Ninja	A cunning mercenary in Japanese history, with great stealth and fighting skills.
Nipper	Slang for a small boy.
Nitro	Short for nitroglycerin, a highly explosive liquid. For that irrepressible puppy who goes off with a bang!
Nomad	For the pup who loves to wander.

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O

Orion	In classical mythology, a giant hunter. The name of a constellation.
Odin	In Scandinavian mythology, the chief god
Oscar	An Old English name meaning 'god' and 'spear'
Otto	A German name meaning 'rich'. Good for a Schnauzer.

P

Paddy	A short form of the Irish name Patrick. Another of several great boy puppy names for an Irish Setter or Irish Wolfhound.
Patches	For the puppy with patches of colour on his coat
Pebbles	For a small, roly-poly puppy
Perro	Spanish: 'dog'
Phantom	For a grey or white puppy
Phoenix	A mythical bird, which rose from death to live again. Perhaps a good name for a rescue puppy?
Pinto	A Spanish-derived word meaning marked with spots of white and other colours. Good for that multi-coloured pup.
Pip	A short form of the name Philip. Good for a tiny puppy (a pipsqueak?).
Pogo	Does your puppy bounce around as if he's on a pogo stick?
Prince	For a noble, dignified sort of puppy.

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R

Raffles	Raffles was a gentleman burglar, the hero of a series of novels in the 1920s and 1930s. For that gentlemanly rascal.
Rajah	A king or prince in India
Ranger	One who roves about. Good name for that wandering, questing puppy.
Rascal	For that bundle of furry mischief!
Rex	Latin: 'king'. A popular and noble dog's name
Riffraff	A scruffy, disreputable puppy.
Ritz	An elegant and showy puppy
Rocket	Another of the great boy puppy names for the dog who shoots off in all directions and won't stay still.
Rover	A classic dog's name. One for the puppy who wanders or loves his walks.
Rufus	Latin: 'red-headed'
Rusty	A great name for a reddish coloured dog, particularly the country or working dog

S

Samson	Samson was a judge of Israel, famous for his great strength
Scamp	For the cheeky, mischievous puppy. One of the classic boy puppy names.
Schnapps	A strong alcoholic drink. Great name for a spirited German breed.
Shadow	For that dark-coloured puppy who follows you around
Sherlock	From Sherlock Holmes. For the puppy who loves to find out everything.
Shogun	A Japanese military rank and title for a hereditary ruler. Another of the good boy puppy names for an Akita or Shiba Inu.
Sinbad	Sinbad the Sailor was the hero of a cycle of stories of Middle Eastern origin. A good name for the puppy who loves to travel by water.
Sparky	For that electrifying puppy!
Stirling or Sterling	Stirling: a city in Scotland. Sterling: British currency or a word meaning of excellent worth

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T

Taffy	Another word for toffee
Tango	A steamy Latin American dance.
Thimble	For that really tiny puppy - definitely one of the cute puppy names!
Titan	In classical mythology, the giant sons of Uranus and Gaea. Good name for a Rottweiler or mastiff.
Tinker	A jack-of-all-trades. For the puppy who likes to get into everything.
Toby	Short form of the name Tobias, derived from Hebrew meaning 'God is good'.
Topaz	A gem, usually yellow or brown.
Toto	The name of Dorothy's dog in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Toto was played by a black Cairn Terrier in the movie.
Tornado	For that destructive puppy who whirls through your life at great speed!
Truffles	For a dark brown puppy, too sweet to resist!

U

Ulysses	Latin version of the Greek name Odysseus. Odysseus was the shrewdest of the Greek leaders in the Trojan War and had to endure a long sea voyage home after the war.
Urchin	For that scamp of a puppy, who looks like he lives on the street

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V

Valentine	For the lover puppy
Velcro	For the puppy who sticks to you and won't let go
Voltaire	Voltaire was an 18th century French philosopher, historian, satirist, dramatist, and essayist. A great name for a high-minded French breed.
Vulcan	The ancient Roman god of fire and metal-working.

W

Wags	For the puppy whose tail never seems to stop!
Whiskey	Another of those boy puppy names for a beautiful golden brown dog. Or perhaps one who intoxicates you with his personality?
Wilbur or Wilber	A Germanic name meaning 'bright desire' or 'bright resolve'
Wilson	An Old English surname meaning 'son of William'. Sometimes used as a first name.
Winston	Is he as stoic and heroic as Winston Churchill? A great name for a British Bulldog.
Wrigley	A puppy who wriggles all over the place?

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Y

Yoda	In the Star Wars movies, Yoda was the last surviving master of Jedi skills who trains Luke Skywalker. Often now used to denote a wise and knowledgeable person.
Yo-yo	For the puppy who just keeps bouncing up and down, up and down.

Z

Zak	Usually short for Isaac ('laughter') or Zachariah ('the Lord recalled')
Zeke	Usually short for Ezekiel ('strength of God')
Zen	A school of Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation and intuition. For the profound, deep-thinking puppy.
Zephyr	A gentle, mild breeze.
Zest	For the puppy with a bit of get up and go
Zeus	The supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, identified by the Romans with Jupiter. One of the great boy puppy names for the masterful pup!
Zorro	South American: 'fox wolf'. The name of the dashing hero who set wrongs to right and was a great swordfighter.

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Chosen your perfect name from our boy puppy names? Don't forget to teach your pup how to recognise his own name. You can find out how at our Puppy Names page.

 

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