Puppy Names: 200+ Ideas for Your New Dog

Updated 15 October 2026

Naming a puppy should be enjoyable, although narrowing down the options can take a little time, especially when everyone has a favourite. Below, you'll find more than two hundred names, including the ones puppy owners across the UK are choosing.

Believe it or not, we did not spend an afternoon brainstorming names while writing this article. Every name below comes from Pet Database's own registrations, with 24,229 puppies signed up across the UK between 4 September 2025 and 4 September 2026.

In case you missed it, Pet Database is our Defra-compliant microchip registry, and it holds your dog's details securely and in line with UK law. If your puppy ever goes missing, we will do everything we can to get you back together.

The ten most common for female puppies: Luna, Bella, Willow, Daisy, Mabel, Winnie, Coco, Poppy, Nala, Bonnie.

The ten most common for male puppies: Teddy, Milo, Buddy, Bear, Max, Reggie, Bruno, Ozzy, Cooper, Rolo.

Luna leads the female names clearly, ahead of Bella in second place.

The male order is far closer. Teddy and Milo are separated by nine dogs across the whole year, so the top spot could change.

Vintage names are well represented. Reggie and Ozzy make the male top eight, and Mabel, Winnie and Bonnie the female top ten.

Human names have taken over the rest. Almost every one of the twenty names above is one or two syllables, which is the shape owners keep reaching for.

Short and easy to call across a park: Ace, Bo, Chip, Dax, Finn, Gus, Hux, Jet, Kai, Mac, Ned, Otis, Pax, Quill, Rex, Scout, Tank, Vex, Wolf, Zane.

Traditional: Alfie, Archie, Bailey, Barney, Bertie, Buddy, Charlie, Digby, Dougal, Harvey, Hugo, Monty, Murphy, Ollie, Oscar, Percy, Rufus, Stanley, Toby, Wilf.

Big-dog names: Atlas, Baloo, Bear, Boulder, Bruno, Chief, Duke, Goliath, Hercules, Kong, Magnus, Moose, Ranger, Thor, Titan, Tyson.

Food and drink: Biscuit, Bramley, Cheddar, Cobb, Crumpet, Gravy, Hobnob, Marmite, Nacho, Peanut, Pickle, Rusk, Waffle.

Vintage names: Barry, Bernard, Clive, Dennis, Doug, Frank, Geoff, Gordon, Malcolm, Norman, Reggie, Trevor.

Short and easy to call across a park: Bea, Cleo, Dot, Elle, Fern, Gia, Indy, Jess, June, Lark, Mabel, Nova, Pip, Roux, Sky, Tess, Vita, Wren, Zara.

Traditional: Betsy, Daisy, Dolly, Elsie, Flora, Hattie, Ivy, Lottie, Maisie, Martha, Millie, Molly, Nellie, Nora, Peggy, Rosie, Ruby, Tilly, Winnie.

Big-dog names: Amazon, Athena, Boudica, Freya, Juno, Kali, Maple, Nala, Reign, Sabre, Saxon, Sierra, Valkyrie, Xena.

Food and drink: Berry, Brioche, Cherry, Clementine, Cocoa, Custard, Honey, Marmalade, Olive, Pepper, Plum, Praline, Truffle.

Nature and weather: Aspen, Birch, Bracken, Briar, Clover, Delta, Hazel, Juniper, Meadow, Sorrel, Storm, Willow.

Nothing here is a rule. It is simply that some names sit better on some dogs, and a name that suits a Newfoundland may not suit a Chihuahua.

Small breeds: Bean, Bijou, Button, Crumb, Dinky, Elf, Gnome, Mouse, Nutmeg, Peanut, Pixie, Poppet, Sprout, Tinker, Wren.

Working and gundog breeds: Ash, Bracken, Fern, Flint, Gauge, Heather, Kestrel, Merlin, Moss, Piper, Ranger, Reed, Rye, Sedge, Teal.

Terriers: Badger, Bramble, Dash, Ferret, Gizmo, Jinx, Nipper, Patch, Scrappy, Scruff, Sparky, Tuppence, Whisky.

Sighthounds: Arrow, Blaze, Comet, Dart, Echo, Fleet, Gale, Ghost, Sable, Shadow, Silk, Sonic, Swift, Zephyr.

Nordic and spitz breeds: Aurora, Balto, Freya, Kaia, Loki, Nanook, Odin, Saga, Sika, Tundra, Yuki.

Giant breeds: Barnaby, Bertram, Colossus, Dozer, Everest, Hank, Humphrey, Maximus, Nimbus, Ogden, Rumble, Samson.

A pedigree puppy typically comes with two names. The long one on the Kennel Club paperwork is the breeder's. It is chosen to look right in a show catalogue, and nobody uses it day to day. The name you actually call your dog is yours to choose. It can be a short form of the paperwork name, or something completely different. The world is your oyster.

Your puppy's name should prompt them to look up and return to you (or they may have selective hearing and ignore you completely). What matters is how short it is, how easily you can call it, and whether it clashes with cues your dog already knows.

Keep it short and easy to call. One or two syllables, with a clear vowel your dog can pick out. Almost every name at the top of the UK lists follows this shape, which isn't a coincidence.

Test it in public before you commit. If you would be embarrassed to call it across your local park, you will avoid using it. A name you avoid is a name your dog never learns.

Give it a week or two to land. There is no set number of repetitions that makes a name stick. What teaches your puppy is hearing the name used the same way each time, with something good attached when they respond (a high-value treat usually does the trick). That gives you a genuine window at the start to change your mind without confusing anybody.

Avoid names that clash with your cues. "Kit" and "sit" are hard to tell apart at distance, and so are "Bo" and "no". If a name sounds like something you will say when you want a different behaviour, choose again.

Let the dog have a "say". Personality shows within weeks, and plenty of owners quietly swap to something that fits better once it does.

Most dogs end up with a collection of names. There's the one on the microchip record, and then whatever name(s) you actually use. A dachshund called Rocco can spend most of his life answering to "silly sausage" (this may or may not be autobiographical). None of that undoes the training, as long as the name you use to call them back stays the same.

Then update the microchip record. Your dog's name sits on their chip registration, and that record is what gets them home. If you change the name, change the record.

What is the most popular puppy name in the UK? Luna for female puppies and Teddy for males, on Pet Database registrations between 4 September 2025 and 4 September 2026. Teddy's lead over Milo is very narrow, so the male order could easily change.

Should I rename a rescue dog? An adult dog who answers to their name is usually better left with it, or moved to something that sounds similar. A young puppy has not yet learned that the name means them, so changing it now costs nothing.

How long does it take a puppy to learn its name? Usually a week or two. There is no set number of repetitions behind it. Use the name often, in a warm tone, paired with something good happening.

Should the name match the breed? Only if you want it to. A name that suits the dog's size and character will wear better than one chosen to match a breed stereotype.

Can I change my puppy's name later? Yes, and it's easiest early on. Use the new name consistently, and have everyone in the house switch at the same time rather than running two names at once. Remember to update the microchip database.

Hopefully one of these has stuck. If not, give it a week or two. Dogs have a way of growing into a name you had not considered.

Read our guide to the first night with a puppy

Read our guide to the best dog breeds for first-time owners

How to look after a puppy: a complete first-year guide