How Do You Pick The Best Boy Dog Names? Here’s A Handy Guide

Boy dog names are lots of fun, but there are so many choices! Here’s a handy guide to selecting the best male dog names for your new pet.

Choosing boy dog names can be overwhelming, but it’s also a lot of fun! After all, it’s warm and exciting thing to be welcoming a new pet into your home. Whether your furry friend comes as a puppy or as an adult who needs a home, the entrance of an animal into your house marks a fresh start, and an affectionate one at that.

With so many male dog names to choose from, how do you nail down exactly what your new pet should be called? There are a few different ways to go about this. Some people simply try out different names until they find one that ‘sticks’ or ‘seems right.’ This is certainly one component to the pet-naming process, but so male dogs’ names can come from so many different places, that even selecting some potential pet monikers can be a process in itself.

Start in the obvious places: names that apply to the dog’s appearance, stature, breed, or demeanor. A big tough dog could be named Duke, Maximus, Beauregard, Brutus, or something else ‘manly.’ If your male dog is quite small, you could name him something petite and preppy, like Reginald or Alistair, or even something with “Prince” or “Sir” in it if your taste is particularly cute.

If you want breed-inspired names, choose something that goes along with the breed’s traditional nationality. For a French bulldog, for example, you could choose Paris, Pierre, Jacques or Etienne.

If you like reading, there are lots of great boy dog names that come from literature. Characters and authors, and even famous actors who’ve acted in plays and movies made from books are all great sources of unique male dog names. How about Olivier (after Lawrence Olivier) if you like theater? If you like young adult novels, then Atticus (from To Kill a Mockingbird) is a fantastic choice. Shakespeare fan? How about Puck (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)?

Kids books and movies are also rich inspiration for many male dogs’ names. Disney comes first, since it’s practically a category all in itself: Dumbo, Balloo, Simba, Scuttle, Buzz, and of course Pongo and Perdita if you have Dalmatians. Beyond Disney, there are still Clifford, Arthur, SpongeBob (yes it happens, especially if you let your kids pick the name), Oscar, and many others.

Then there are more traditional boy dog names. Believe it or not, Spot and Fido aren’t all that commonly used anymore, so even though they’re not particularly original, they’ll actually be quite unique next time you take your pooch to the dog park. You can also choose good solid “people names” to use as male dog names: Max and Sam have been two of the most popular for years on end. Charlie is also a great name for a dog, as is Henry. If you want to go for standard (yet still slightly fun) human names for your dog, you could choose Frank, Fred, Albert, or another similar-sounding name.

At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way to choose boy dog names. Just consider your pet’s personality and your own preference, and then once you’ve narrowed down the field, choose something that seems like a good fit.