5 Ways to Find Totally Unique Dog Names & Be Creative!

by Jessi Larson

Looking for unique dog names that not everyone has? Not only do unique names stand out, they’re fun to pick out.

This guide will help you generate some awesome ideas for unique dog names that fit your own style & personality!

When looking at dog names Toby was a name we both liked, and when we met the little yellow lab pup we’d soon take home, there was no question that was the perfect name for him.

Toby goes to doggy daycare a few days a week. (It’s a lifesaver for a high-energy lab, especially during crazy cold Minnesota winters!) For almost a year he was the only Toby. But soon there was another. And another. Before long he was known as “Big Toby.”

As a child of the 80s with the name Jessica, I’m sensitive to being one of many with the same name. The worst was second grade when I was one of four girls named Jessica. There was always some clarifier to tell us apart. Throughout the years, I was called Jessica K., New Jessi, even “Big Jessi” at one point. (Like mother like pup, I guess.)

I don’t regret naming my dog Toby for a minute. It’s a perfect name for him. But if you want to find truly unique dog names for your pup, ones no other dog at the park has, here are a few pointers.

Unique Female Dog Names

• Aja
• Aria
• Avalon
• Buffy
• Cinder
• Cora
• Delila
• Emmy
• Farrah
• Fiona
• Flora
• Frida
• Harper
• Izzy
• Kai
• Kaia
• Kodiak
• Maizie
• Norah
• Nyx
• Pippa
• Phoenix
• Queenie
• River
• Sativa
• Shasta
• Starr
• Winter

Unique Male Dog Names

• Alfred
• Angus
• Apollo
• Arlo
• Axl
• Barley
• Beau
• Boomer
• Bucky
• Buddah
• Casper
• Cheech
• Conan
• Darwin
• Dixon
• Finn
• Gordy
• Guinness
• Holden
• Horace
• Jagger
• Jett
• Knight
• Legend
• Maynard
• Nacho
• Orion
• Pierre
• Presley
• Saber
• Tank
• Tater Tot
• Titan
• Tyrion
• Watson
• Willie

5 Tips to Find Unique Dog Names

1. Watch for character names in TV & Movies. Writers spend a lot of time finding unique names for their characters.
2. Location, location, location. Think about cities you’ve visited or your favorite vacation spots.
3. What are your hobbies & interests? A sport, video game, comic, historical period, musician or book can be a great source of name ideas.
4. Look at lists with the most popular dog names. Stay away from these if you don’t want a common name!
5. Try out a dog name generator, like the My Dog’s Name. We’ve got thousands of unique dog names for your pup.

1. Unique Movie & TV Names

When reading a book or watching TV or a movie, pay close attention to character names. Writers rarely give characters average, boring names – which is great for your quest to find unique dog names. For example, in House of Cards one of the main characters is named Remy. This would make a super cool, unique dog name!

Here are some ideas:

2. Location Names

Location, location, location. Think about cities you’ve visited or your favorite vacation spots. Look at the street names when you drive down the road as well as park signs and landmarks. Here are some ideas:

• Aspen
• Cali
• Dixie
• Humboldt
• Kona
• Memphis
• Milan
• Oslo
• Paris
• Rio
• Tahiti
• Tex
• Vegas

3. Hobby Names

Think about your hobbies and interests. This might be a sport like tennis, golf, or football with a unique term (Bogey, Ace), player (Elway, Gretzky), or location (Augusta, Fenway) that would make a great name. It could be a character from a game, comic or book. Maybe you have a favorite band or musician (Hendrix, Slash), or maybe you’re really interested in a historical period like ancient Egypt or Rome.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

4. Avoid Popular Dog Names

We’ve been keeping lists of our most popular dog names on the site for years. These can be a great source of dog names, but if you want a unique name it’s verification the name is going to be overused.

These popular names include:

You can review our full list of top dog names to get an idea of what else is popular so you can eliminate those options from your list of name ideas.

5. Name Generator

A great final option is to use a name generator to just view a ton of names and get a list of ideas going. Try out our dog name search and see what is listed in some of your favorite categories and check off the names to save them to your list.

Once you get a few unique dog names you like, don’t forget to test them out. Say the name out loud and make sure you’re OK shouting it in public. Believe me, you’ll have to say it many, many times some days!