100 Outstanding Dog Names That Start With O
There are few things more exciting in life than welcoming a new member into your family—especially one of the four-legged variety. But naming your new fuzzy friend can pose a bit of a challenge; after all, there are thousands of great dog names out there to choose from. That’s why we decided to simplify the process and focus on one letter only: the improbable oddity that is the letter O.
Believe it or not, there is actually a slew of awesome names that start with this relatively unique letter. We’ve divided them up into male dog names, female dog names, unisex dog names, and interesting dog names (i.e., names with a particularly cool backstory). So keep reading to learn more about these mutt-friendly monikers—we guarantee they’re worth a tail wag or two!
Male Dog Names That Start With O
We’ve included the origins and any other fun facts about these traditionally male monikers that might help you choose your new pup’s name!
Oakley – Old English name that means ‘meadow of the oak trees’
Oberon – derived from the Old High German for ‘ruler’ or ‘king,’ also the name of the fairy king in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Obie – Hebrew name that means ‘servant of God’
Odell – Old English name that means ‘woad hill’; a woad is a plant collected for its blue dye
Odin – for the Norse god of culture, art, law, and wisdom
Odysseus – the protagonist from Homer’s epic, The Odyssey
Oggie – derived from the Old English meaning ‘from the valley of oak trees’
Olaf – Old Norse name that means ‘ancient relic’
Oliver – from the Latin ‘olivarius’ meaning ‘olive tree’
Ollivander – Mediterranean name that means ‘he who owns an olive wand’
Omar – Hebrew for ‘gifted speaker,’ also means ‘flourishing’ in Arabic
Opie – traceable back to the Old Norse name ‘Asbjorn,’ which means ‘God bear’
Optimus – Latin name meaning ‘best’
Orion – famous hunter in Greek mythology, also the name of a constellation easily recognized by its ‘belt’ of three stars
Oscar – English and Spanish name meaning ‘friend of the deer’
Osiris – for the Egyptian god of the dead
Oso – the Spanish word for ‘bear’
Oswald – from the Anglo-Saxon meaning ‘God’s rule’
Othello – Old High German name meaning ‘wealth,’ also the namesake of the titular character in Shakespeare’s play Othello
Otto – German name meaning ‘wealth and prosperity’
Owen – from the Welsh and Celtic meaning ‘young warrior’
Ox – from the Old English ‘oxa’ meaning ‘cow’ or ‘bull’
Oz – Hebrew name that means ‘strength’
Ozzy – from the Old English and Old German meaning ‘spear of the gods’ or ‘God’s power’
O’Malley – derived from the Gaelic meaning ‘chieftain’
Female Dog Names That Start With O
Female dogs can get in on the fun here, too. Check out these 25 names for the newest little lady in your house—we know you’ll love them as much as we do.
Octavia – Latin name that means ‘eighth’
Odessa – derived from the Greek meaning ‘angry man’
Odette – from the French and Old German meaning ‘wealth’
Oiva – Nordic name that means ‘excellent and splendid’
Okera – from the Nigerian meaning ‘a likeness to God’
Oki – Japanese name meaning ‘ocean-centered’
Okimi – Japanese name that means ‘bright, shining light’
Oleta – Latin name meaning ‘small, winged one’
Olive – variant of Olivia with the same meaning
Olivia – the feminine counterpart to Oliver, also Latin in origin and means ‘olive’ or ‘olive tree’
Olivine – another variant of Olivia, with the same meaning of ‘olive tree’
Oma – derived from the Arabic that means ‘leader’
Ombretta – inspired by the Italian word ‘umbra,’ which means ‘shadow’ or ‘darkness’
Ondrea – from the Czech meaning ‘strong and courageous one’
Oona – Scottish, Irish, and Gaelic name meaning ‘one’
Opal – taken from the gemstone with the same name, also the birthstone for October
Ophelia – Greek name that means ‘help’
Oprah – for one of the most popular talk show hosts of all time, Oprah Winfrey
Ora – Latin name meaning ‘pray’
Orchid – for the purple springtime flower, originally from the ancient Greek for ‘testicle’
Oriki – a form of praise poetry in Nigeria’s Yoruba culture; each household has its own form of this praise poetry
Orla – Celtic name that means ‘golden princess’
Osiana – derived from the English for ‘young, little deer’
Osita – from the Spanish for ‘little girl bear’
Oxana – Greek name meaning ‘foreigner’
Unisex Dog Names That Start With O
If a gendered name isn’t really your style, though, then not to worry–we’ve got a handful of unisex dog names that’ll suit any pooch. On our list you’ll find silly names and human names alike, making sure there’s something for every kind of dog owner on the list.
Oahu – the third-largest Hawaiian island which means ‘The Gathering Place’
Oasis – from the ancient Greek and Latin meaning ‘rich, comfortable, pleasant, and hope’
Oath – from the word that means ‘solemn promise’
Oatmeal – taken from the word describing cooked, processed oats, also a popular breakfast food in the U.S.
Ocean – Greek name that means ‘sea’
October – named for the tenth month of the year
Oddball – describes someone with a strange or unusual personality
Officer – the occupational name of someone who holds office, from the Latin ‘officium,’ meaning ‘service’ or ‘task’
Ole – Danish and Norwegian name that means ‘ancestor’s descendant’
Olsen – Danish-Norwegian name that means ‘son of Ole’
Omaha – for one of Nebraska’s biggest cities, originally from a Native American word meaning ‘upstream people’
Omega – the last letter of the Greek alphabet, also usually denotes the end of something
Omelet – describes the dish made of fried, beaten eggs folded over like a pancake, originally from the French meaning ‘little blade’
One – the first number in the English language
Onion – derived from the Old Welsh word ‘enniaun,’ describing the common bulb vegetable
Onyx – the shiny, black gemstone, originally of English origin
Orbit – English-derived name meaning ‘the encircling of something in outer space’
Orca – for the killer whale, originally from the Latin meaning ‘the shape of a barrel or cask’
Oregano – from the Greek meaning ‘mountain of joy,’ also a popular herb in Italian cooking
Oreo – for the classic chocolate sandwich cookie
Orlando – Italian name meaning ‘famous throughout the land’
Osaka – Japan’s culinary, commercial, and cultural center
Ounce – from the imperial unit of measurement equivalent to 28.3 grams
Owl – describes the nocturnal bird of prey that makes a ‘hoo!’ sound
O’Hara – from the Irish meaning ‘descended of Eaghra’
Interesting Dog Names That Start With O
Don’t go anywhere just yet; we’ve got 25 more interesting doggy names that also happen to start with this illustrious letter. Given their uncommon nature, we’ve included the backstory behind them so you can learn a little something before giving one to your pup.
Oaf – from the Middle English ‘alven’ meaning ‘a clumsy or stupid person’
Oana – variant of Joanna, with the same meaning of ‘God is gracious’
Oba – Nigerian name that means ‘king’
Obama – for the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama
Ocarina – from the Italian for ‘little goose’
Ocelot – a species of North American wildcats, from the Aztec ‘tlalocelot,’ which means ‘field tiger’
Oko – Yoruba name that means ‘good messenger’
Oleg – traditional Slavic name derived from the Old Norse meaning ‘holy or sacred’
Oline – Hawaiian name that means ‘joyous’
Ollie – the diminutive form of Oliver
Omarion – variant of Omar, with the same meaning of ‘flourishing’
Omi – Hindu name meaning ‘the sound of the universe’
Ondrej – derived from the ancient Greek ‘Andreas,’ which means ‘man’ or ‘husband’
Onora – another Latin name that means ‘honor’
Ooki – Japanese name that means ‘big tree’
Oomi – Japanese name meaning ‘big ocean’
Orabella – derived from the Latin meaning ‘prayerful’
Oracle – Greek name that means ‘prophecy’
Orwell – for the famous American author known for his books 1984 and Animal Farm
Osgood – Old English name meaning ‘Goth god’
Osvaldo – Old German name meaning ‘God’s power’
Otter – French and German name that means ‘wealth and army’
Ovid – for the famous Roman poet who lived during the time of Augustus
Oyster – derived from the Anglo-Saxon word describing a marine bivalve mollusk
Ozias – from the Greek and Hebrew meaning ‘strength from the Lord’
One Last Word on These “O-some” Dog Names That Start With O
If you thought there were only a handful of cool dog names that start with O, we hope we changed your mind! With so many magnificent monikers to choose from, it’s plain to see that the letter O isn’t as uncommon as you might think.
