280+ Cool Dog Names

As Juliet once pondered, “What’s in a name?” For most people, it’s a lot. We all know how important it is to choose an awesome moniker for your new furbaby. While we may be stuck with boring human names, the sky is the limit for our dogs.

You can give your dog the coolest name you can possibly think of and nobody will bat an eye, even if it sounds like it came from an obscure fantasy novel (or it actually did). Of course, what’s cool and what isn’t is completely subjective. Luckily, we have hundreds of names to choose from, so the odds of finding a cool name you connect with are pretty good.

Food Names to Salivate Over

You may think food names are more cutesy than cool, but there are actually a number of names that sound pretty suave. Take a look.

• Bailey
• Brandy
• Chai
• Espresso
• Gin
• Henessy
• Jäger: As in Jägermeister.
• Jameson
• Kona: A Hawaiian coffee bean.
• Merlot
• Pepper
• Porter
• Rum
• Saffron
• Salsa
• Schnapps
• Spice
• Tequila
• Whiskey
• Wrigley: Like the gum.

Military and Weapon-Themed Names

For some reason, we humans find danger pretty cool — at least, we like the idea of it; most of us have natural fear responses in the face of legitimate danger. Still, we love a good action movie full of intense fights. Therefore, we’ve come up with some names based on weaponry and military status.

• Apache
• Blade
• Captain
• Chakram: A circular throwing weapon.
• Colonel
• Colt
• Flyssa: A bladed weapon of the Kabyle peoples in Algeria.
• Garand
• General
• Gunner
• Knuckles
• Kris: An asymmetrical dagger.
• Kunai: Japanese throwing knives.
• Major
• Marshall
• Maxim
• Pistol
• Sergeant
• Uzi
• Warden
• Winchester

Names Inspired by Cool-Sounding Places

It’s somewhat common to name children after cities and countries, so why not a dog? Here is a list of some places that just so happen to have awesome names.

• Avalon: A mythical island from Arthurian legend.
• Bronx
• Cairo
• Cali
• Cayman
• Corsica
• Dallas
• Dixie
• Denver
• Humboldt
• Joplin
• London
• Marbella
• Memphis
• Milan
• Montana
• Nairobi
• Paris
• Paxton
• Raleigh
• Rio
• Roma
• Sicily
• Sydney
• Tex
• York

Names Inspired by the Coolest Fictional Characters

There’s probably nothing cooler than a badass hero or heroine from a TV show, movie, or novel. These names are inspired by some of the coolest characters fiction has to offer.

• Anakin: Star Wars
• Arya: Game of Thrones
• Bellatrix: Harry Potter
• Bond: James Bond
• Buffy: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Cara: as in Cara Dune from The Mandalorian
• Cersei: Game of Thrones
• Dexter: Dexter
• Din: Din Djarin from The Mandalorian
• Erza: Fairy Tail
• Kaneki: Tokyo Ghoul
• Katniss: The Hunger Games
• Khan: Star Trek
• Leia: Star Wars
• Max / Maximus: Gladiator
• Mikasa: Attack on Titan
• Mystique: X-Men
• Nymeria: the name of Arya Stark’s wolf from Game of Thrones
• Obi: Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars
• Othello: Othello
• Rocky: Rocky
• Starbuck: Moby Dick
• Trinity: The Matrix
• Xena: Xena: Warrior Princess
• Yennefer: The Witcher

Cool Names From Mythology

Mythology has a lot of powerful characters. After all, it’s all about gods, goddesses, and fantastical creatures. A lot of the names are unique, sound cool and evoke an ancient past.

We do recommend you look these mythological figures up though; these characters don’t always have the best moral compasses, and you may not want to name your dog after a jealous or philandering god or goddess.

• Ajax
• Apollo
• Athena
• Atlas
• Aries
• Freya
• Gaia
• Hera
• Loki
• Medusa
• Nyx
• Odin
• Styx
• Thanos
• Thor
• Venus
• Zeus

Cool Names for Male Puppies

These names don’t have a theme, they just sounded super cool to us. While they are traditionally considered male names, you’re perfectly welcome to choose one of these names for a female dog if it strikes your fancy.

• Ace
• Amon
• Archer
• Axel
• Bandit
• Bane
• Bolt
• Bowie
• Bruto
• Butch
• Caesar
• Chance
• Chase
• Chaz
• Cisco
• Cobra
• Connor
• Cooper
• Cypher
• Dre
• Duke
• Duron
• Escobar
• Ezekiel/Zeke
• Finn
• Gambit
• Garcia
• Harley
• Hendrix
• Holt
• Hux
• Jace
• Jaden
• Jasper
• Jax
• Jet
• Kaden
• Kai
• Kal
• Kalix
• Kendrick
• King
• Knox
• Leo
• Lex
• Mac
• Maverick
• Ranger
• Rex
• Riggs
• Ryder
• Tanner
• Tex
• Timber
• Tux
• Tyson
• Wizard
• Wyatt
• Xander
• Xavier
• Zane

Cool Names for Female Dogs

We just saw some of the snazziest names for male dogs, so here they are for females. Again, though these names are traditionally feminine, there’s nothing wrong with using them for male dogs.

• Adira
• Avril
• Azra
• Banshee
• Blair
• Blondie
• Britt
• Camilla
• Chanel
• Cleo
• Damia
• Denna
• Dotty
• Dove
• Elektra
• Eva
• Evita
• Foxy
• Freesia
• Frida
• Harper
• India
• Ingrid
• Ivy
• Jag
• Jinx
• Jude
• Kaia/Kaya
• Kassia
• Kendra
• Koda
• Lalida
• Lana
• Leda
• Lexi
• Lita
• Liv
• Mika
• Millicent
• Misty
• Morgana
• Myra
• Nala
• Natalia
• Nessie
• Neva
• Pearl
• Piper
• Portia
• Raven
• Roxy
• Scarlett
• Shiva
• Talia
• Teela
• Trix/Trixie
• Ursa
• Valerie
• Valkyrie
• Velda
• Vida
• Vixen
• Yve
• Zephrine
• Zelda

The Coolest Unisex Dog Names

When it comes to these names, sex doesn’t matter. They’re not tied to any gender and will work perfectly for any dog!

• Ash
• Aspen
• Blaze
• Chaos
• Comet
• Domino
• Echo
• Enigma
• Flare
• Fury
• Ghost
• Indie
• Jazz/Jazzy
• Justice
• Marley
• Maze
• Mercury
• Midnight
• Mystery
• Neo
• Ninja
• Oakley
• Onyx
• Oracle
• Phantom
• Phoenix
• Poison
• Rebel
• Remy
• Rigby
• Riley
• Ripley
• River
• Rogue
• Rumor
• Rusty
• Sable
• Sandy
• Sage
• Shadow
• Sky
• Smokey
• Specter
• Spirit
• Storm
• Sunset
• Thunder
• Venom

Struggling? Here’s How to Choose a Name

We’ve offered you hundreds of names to choose from, and while some of you may have connected with one right away, others may be considering a few options. So how do you go about picking the best name for your pup? Here are some tips.

1. Make It Personal

While some people might think it’s funny to name their dog something like “dog” or “puppy” or “mutt,” these aren’t great choices. Your dog is meant to be a member of the family, so not giving them a proper name suggests that you may not see them as a living, breathing, thinking animal with feelings (yes, dogs do have emotions).

2. Remember That a Name Is Just a Name

Don’t expect your dog to live up to his name. You’re here looking at cool names, but your dog may turn out to be clumsy instead of suave, and that’s okay. Problems occur when people name their dogs something like “Chaos” and then see the dog as more mischievous than she actually is, all because there’s this perception that the dog is living up to her name.

3. Pick a Name With Two or More Syllables

Animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell found that dogs are more likely to come to short sing-song pitches that rise in tone than to long, low pitches that drop in tone. If you’ve had a dog before, you may have noticed that your stern “you’re in trouble” voice is similar to the latter.

Modern dog training practices tell us that we don’t want our dogs thinking they’re in trouble when we call them because then they’re going to be less likely to obey when we do. That said, it’s much easier to apply the sing-song tone to a name that has two syllables or more.

Think about calling ‘Cha-os!’ versus ‘Du-uke!’ The second is just a bit more awkward. Of course, if you’ve found a single-syllable name that you’re really attached to, don’t let this stop you from choosing it. Though many of us do call our dogs using their names (or at least use this sing-song tactic to get their attention), it’s still important to teach them a strong “come now” call.

The Coolest Pooch in the Park

Your puppy might just be the coolest pooch in the park after you’ve chosen a slick name from our list. We’ve given you plenty of options to mull over, so we hope it won’t be too difficult to pick a favorite.

Remember to choose a name that feels personal, don’t expect your dog to live up to that name, and consider names with two or more syllables that are easier to call out. Whichever name you decide upon, we know your puppy is going to be well-loved since you took the time to sort through hundreds of names just to find the perfect one.