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:

1. Think about things you like. What are your hobbies? What terms or names are associated with them?
2. Use geography. Where do you live or love to travel?
3. Try some characters from your favorite TV, movies or books.
4. See what’s trending. Check out lists of most popular dog names (here’s our top dog names).
5. 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!

Jessi Larson

Jessi is a marketing strategist for Fortune 50 companies who loves to research and write about all things dog. She is the proud mom to Toby, a giant Labrador Retriever who thinks he’s a lapdog. He inspires her to be a better pet parent and to share advice with other dog owners.