225+ Cool Dog Names & Awesome Ways to Find More!
by Jessi Larson
So you just got a dog and want to give it a cool dog name. First off, congrats on your new bundle of fur and joy. What an exciting time in your life!
When it comes to names, “cool” is really a subjective term. What might be cool to you can differ from what others like. Here are some name ideas to get you started:
Top Cool Dog Names
These are some of our favorite cool dog name ideas.
- Ace
- Boomer
- Dash
- Denver
- Dre
- Duke
- Harley
- Harper
- Hendrix
- Hux
- Indie
- Jazz
- Kai
- Oakley
- Pixel
- Rebel
- Remy
- Riley
- Ryder
- Sage
- Skye
- Zelda
Finding More Cool Dog Names
So, how do you start generating more dog names ideas? Here are some tips that we’ll show some examples from below:
- Think about things you like. What are your hobbies? What terms or names are associated with them?
- Use geography. Where do you live or love to travel?
- Try some characters from your favorite TV, movies or books.
- See what’s trending. Check out lists of most popular dog names (here’s our top dog names).
- Search dog names by category to get even more ideas.
Finding Cool Dog Names from Hobbies
What are some of your favorite things? They might be full of really cool dog names that are unique to you! Do you love video games, fitness, cooking, music, sports, hunting, or is there something else that stands out? Try and find some short words that may work as a name. Here are some examples:
Dog Names from Music
Who are your favorite bands, rappers, or musicians? If they have a short, unique name it might be perfect for your pup! Here are some examples:
- Axl – Guns n Roses
- Blondie – singer
- Bowie – Davie Bowie, singer
- Cardi – rapper
- Clash – band
- Dre – Dr. Dre, rap producer
- Elton – Elton John
- Elvis
- Floyd – Pink Floyd
- Freddie – Freddie Mercury
- Hendrix – guitar god
- Iggy – Iggy Azalea / Iggy Pop
- Janis – Janis Joplin
- Jazz – musical genre
- Kenrick – rapper
- Lennon – Beatles
- Marley – Reggae legend
- Prince – guitar player / musician
- Queen – band
- Ringo – Beatles
Foodie Dog Names
Do you love food? Maybe your favorite treat is a good dog name as well!
- Barley – brewing ingredient
- Brie – creamy cheese
- Chai – black tea with spices
- Jameson – whiskey
- Kona – coffee bean from Hawaii
- Porter – dark beer
- Saffron – expensive spice
Video Game & Tech Dog Names
Do you play video games, work in a tech field, or just love tech in general? Maybe there’s a great name hidden in there! You might also enjoy this list of nerdy dog names.
- Apache – server software
- Atari – classic video game system
- Bowser – enemy of Mario
- Genesis – classic gaming system
- Java – coding language
- Kong – Donkey Kong
- Link – main character in Zelda games
- Mac – Apple Computer
- Pixel – dot on screen
- Ruby – programming language
- Sonic – The Hedgehog
- Zelda – Nintendo game
Sports & Hunting Dog Names
Do you love playing or watching sports? Your unique sport probably has a ton of different terms or athletes that would make great dog names. If you’re a hunter, check out our list of hunting dog names.
- Boomer – football QB
- DiMaggio – baseball player
- Gretzky – hockey player, the great one
- Jordan – basketball player
- Kobe – basketball player
- Montana – football QB
- Payton – football QB
- Shaq – basketball player
- Venus – tennis player
- Winchester – classic rifle
- Wrigley – stadium
Geography Dog Names
Do you have a favorite place to travel? A friend in college studied in Sydney, Australia, and had an amazing time, so when she got a dog she naturally chose the name Sydney. You can also check out our list of city names for dogs.
- Cali
- Dixie
- Humboldt
- London
- Memphis
- Milan
- Paris
- Rio
- Sydney
- Tex
- York
Names from TV, Movies, and Books
Pay attention when watching TV and movies and reading books. You can find great inspiration.
- Akira – anime
- Arya – Game of Thrones
- Ash – Evil Dead
- Boba – Star Wars
- Bond – James Bond
- Buffy – Vampire Slayer
- Buzz – Toy Story
- Doc – Doc Holiday or Back to the Future
- Gambit – Marvel
- Gatsby – Great Gatsby
- Groot – Guardians of the Galaxy
- Indy – Indiana Jones
- Khan – Star Trek
- Loki – Marvel
- Max / Maximus – Gladiator
- Neo – The Matrix
- Ridley – Director Ridley Scott
- Ripley – Alien
- Rocky – Boxing movies
- Rogue – Marvel
- Thor – Marvel
- Xena – Warrior Princess
Cool Male Dog Names
- Ace
- Ajax
- Apache
- Apollo
- Archer
- Atlas
- Axel
- Bandit
- Bane
- Blaze
- Bolt
- Bowie
- Caesar
- Captain
- Chance
- Chase
- Cisco
- Cobra
- Comet
- Connor
- Cooper
- Cypher
- Dexter
- Domino
- Dre
- Duke
- Escobar
- Finn
- Gambit
- Garcia
- Gunner
- Hendrix
- Jasper
- Jax
- Jazz
- Jet
- Justice
- Kal
- Kendrick
- King
- Leo
- Lex
- Loki
- Mac
- Marley
- Maverick
- Mercury
- Midnight
- Montana
- Neo
- Odin
- Othello
- Pistol
- Ranger
- Raven
- Rebel
- Rex
- Riggs
- Rusty
- Ryder
- Shadow
- Smokey
- Storm
- Tanner
- Tex
- Thunder
- Timber
- Tux
- Tyson
- Wizard
- Wrigley
- Zeke
- Zeus
Cool Female Dog Names
- Akira
- Angel
- Ash
- Aspen
- Athena
- Blondie
- Britt
- Cali
- Camilla
- Cersei
- Cleo
- Dash
- Dixie
- Dotty
- Dove
- Echo
- Elektra
- Espresso
- Foxy
- Frida
- Harley
- Hera
- Honey
- India
- Jag
- Jazzy
- Jinx
- Joplin
- Jude
- Koda
- Leia
- Loki
- Memphis
- Merlot
- Milan
- Misty
- Mystery
- Mystique
- Natalia
- Nessie
- Ninja
- Nyx
- Oracle
- Pearl
- Pepper
- Phoenix
- Piper
- Portia
- Raven
- Rebel
- Rigby
- Ripley
- River
- Rogue
- Sable
- Sage
- Sandy
- Scarlett
- Shadow
- Shiva
- Sky
- Smokey
- Spice
- Starbuck
- Storm
- Sunset
- Trix
- Wrigley
- Venus
- Vixen
- Zelda
Looking for more dog name ideas? Check out our dog name search where you can pick your favorite name category and the gender of your pup to get a list of name ideas!
Teach Your Dog Its Name!
20 Comments
Karin Milligan
Hi we are getting a Cockapoo so we don’t know what to call it
Aubrey Gleason
Im getting a golden retriever in july.
Emily
Welp how about u name the golden retriver Shadow? Or Dusty
elly
in my opinion shadow is a little bit dark for a cutiepie golden retriver so dusty is better.
Greta
ive got a bichon called Cash.
Ned Seal
Hi I am Ned we are getting a new whippet because are only boy Magnus and are looking for a name
Ned Seal
He died
Tim
elly I think Emily said Shadow for the golden retriever because of the movie homeward bound it has nothing to do with darkness
Terry
We have had endless name changes for our new French Bulldog – She is absolutely beautiful – blue with a white chest – shimmers in the sun and looks almost silver….. We intend to breed with her so need something classy and professional – My Oh My – the struggle is REAL!!! Please HELP!!!
Denise Walker
Hi I’m looking for a name for a Staffordshire bull terrier puppy as we lost our beloved Jack. I have decided on Ned – thanks Ned
Onw
Terry, how about Kyanite after the blue gemstone.
ballet
I have a husky that is black and white with blue eyes. I need help with names
luna tori
to ballet-I understand your struggle. When I first got my bonded pair of huskies, I had so much trouble finding their perfect names. They were 1 years old already but they are rescues and I wanted to give them new names that better suited them so their names would not be associated with pain or harm. Plus their names didn’t really suit them in my opinion, they were one total grey husky with a white blaze, the other was black and white, both with blue eyes, and their names were Maude and Oreo. Their new names are Olive and Koda.
I suggest going straight from the source of their origin. Maybe choose some Siberian names, such as Yukon or Astra.
Also, check out this website at https://www.mydogsname.com/husky-dog-names/
I hope this helps!! Best of luck with the husky!!!
DIANE COLSON
how about SKY
Ron Beaudoin
Im getting a female bojack puppy. She is mostly all white body and has mostly all black on her head. Any name suggestions?
F. Stone
Chewy Chewerson
Menace McBarkpants
Kim
I’m fitting a mini goldendoodle I need help with Girl names
Lanie
My dog’s name is Dash and I never met another dog with name Dash before but I felt honored that he is on this list 🙂
Erik Baken
I’m thinking of Drogo for a Rhodesian Ridgeback. What do you think?
MT
We had a Rhodesian and always wished we named him Rhody.