Top 100 Best Literary Dog Names For Your New Puppy
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If you want to combine your love for your dog with that of your reading habit, then why not name your dog after your favorite characters?
Dogs have been part of our society dating all the way back to ancient times. The bond that humankind shares with dogs has been recorded in many forms of literature.
Naming your pet can often feel like a difficult task. Literary names for pets are a growing trend, which can be a charming fit for your dog.
To assist in your search for the right pet name, we have gathered 100 literary dog names, that we hope will inspire you. We have included dog names from literature as well as several names of writers which may suit your dog.
For more inspiration for pet names, take a look at these nerdy cat names and cartoon dog names.
Names Of Dogs In Literature
Over the years, many writers have shown their love for dogs by creating popular canine characters; here are some of the most famous fictional dogs.
1. Argos (Greek origin) meaning "bright" from 'Odysseus'.
2. Buck (English origin) meaning "cowboy or deer". Inspired from 'Call Of The Wild'.
3. Buddy (English origin) meaning "friend." From 'A Dogs Purpose'.
4. The Bullseye (English origin) meaning "centre of the target." From 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens.
5. Cujo (English origin). It is a famous dog name from Stephen King's book 'Cujo'.
6. Fang (Chinese, Scottish origin) meaning "wind" and "from the sheep pen". From 'Harry Potter' by J.K. Rowling.
7. Finn (Irish origin) meaning " white" or "fair". From 'The Adventure Of Huckleberry Finn' written by Mark Twain.
8. Fluffy (English origin)meaning "covered with lots of furs or fluff." It is the name of a large three-headed dog in 'Harry Potter And The Sorcerers Stone'.
9. Gatsby (South African origin) meaning " extravagant". From 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
10. Ghost (Arabic, French origin) meaning "spirit". From 'Game of Thrones' by George R. R. Martin.
11. Marley (Old English origin) meaning "pleasant wood" or "boundary wood". From 'Marley And Me' by John Grogan.
Female Names for Dogs Inspired By Literature
Having a dog is a blessing. Finding a suitable literary dog name worth of your pup is therefore a challenge. Get inspired by our list of female dogs names below.
12. Amelia (Germanic origin) meaning "work", from 'Amelia' by H. Fielding Hall.
13. Anna (Greek and Hebrew origin) meaning "favor or grace or beautiful". From ' Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy.
14. Annie (English origin) meaning "gracious or merciful". 'Little Orphan Annie' is an American comic strip by Herold Grey.
15. Aslan (Persian origin) meaning "lion or golden lion". From 'Chronicles Of Narnia' by C.S.Lewis.
16. Atticus (Latin origin) meaning "belonging to Attica". From the book 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee.
17. Beauty (English origin)from 'Beauty And The Beast', a novel by Gabrielle-Suzanne De Villeneuve.
18. Emma (German origin) meaning "whole" and "universal." 'Emma', a great novel by Jane Austen.
19. Evangeline (English origin) meaning "messenger of God or good news". From 'Evangeline, A Tale Of Acadie', a poem by William Longfellow.
20. Gretal (German origin) meaning "a pearl". From 'Hansel And Gretel' is a German fairy-tale novel by the Grimm Brothers.
21. Jem (English origin) meaning "a form of a gem". From 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee.
22. Juliet (English origin) meaning "youthful, downy". From William Shakespeare's epic play 'Romeo And Juliet'.
23. Lassie (Scottish origin) meaning "young girl". From 'Lassie Come-Home' by Eric Knight.
24. Midas (Greek origin) refers to a Greek character whose touch turned everything to gold. From the 'Midas Touch' legend.
25. Munchkin (English origin)meaning "a short or little one". From the 'The Wizard Of Oz' by L Frank Baum.
26. Nemo (Greek origin) meaning "from the valley". From 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea' by Jules Verne.
27. Odyssey (Greek origin) meaning "a tale of falling troy". From 'Odyssey', an epic poem by Homer.
28. Oliver (Latin, Norse origin) meaning "olive tree". From 'Oliver Twist' novel by Charles Dickens.
29. Shiloh (Israel origin) meaning "peace". From 'Shiloh' by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
30. Snoopy (English origin)meaning "curious". From 'The Peanuts' comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
Dog Name Inspired By Famous Authors
Naming your literary dog after a favorite author or writer can be a strong choice; here are some popular literary inspired dog names after famous authors.
31. Agatha (Greek origin) meaning "good". It is associate with crime author Agatha Christie.
32. Austen (Latin origin) meaning "great and magnificent." The name is inspired by writer, Jane Austen, a Victorian novelist.
33. Bronte (Greek origin) meaning "thunder". It is derived from the famous Bronte sisters.
34. Capote (Spanish origin) meaning "protected one, cloak". It is inspired by writer, Truman Capote.
35. Casper (Chaldean origin) meaning "treasure". It is derived from the Canadian writer, Claudia Casper.
36. Dante (Latin origin) meaning "everlasting". inspired by Dante Alighieri, often referred to as Dante.
37. Dickens (English origin) meaning " belonging to or son of". Inspired by Charles Dickens.
38. Eliot (English origin) meaning "the lord is my God". Derived from the poet's name, T.S. Eliot.
39. Faulkner (English origin) meaning "falconer". Inspired by William Faulkner.
40. Fitz (French origin) meaning "son of". Derived from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
41. Hemingway (English origin) is a town in South Carolina. Associate with Ernest Hemingway a Nobel Prize winning author for literature.
42. Homer (Greek origin) meaning "pledge". Inspired by Homer.
43. Hunter (English origin) meaning "one who hunts ". Derived from Hunter S. Thompson.
44. Joyce (Latin origin) meaning "lord". This name was inspired by Irish writer, James Joyce.
45. Langston (English origin) meaning "tall men's town". Inspired by Langston Hughes.
46. Leo (Latin origin) meaning "lion". Inspired by Leo Tolstoy.
47. Martin (Latin origin) meaning "warrior". Inspired by George R R Martin.
48. Maya (Sanskrit origin) meaning "illusions", derived from Maya Angelou.
49. Orwell (English origin) meaning "branch of the river". Derived from George Orwell.
50. Twain (English origin) meaning "divided into two". Inspired by Mark Twain.
51. Wallace (Low Franconian origin) meaning " foreigner, stranger". Derived from David Foster Wallace.
52. Walt (German origin) meaning "powerful army". Inspired by Walt Whitman.
Popular Dog Names From Books
Naming your literary dog based on characters from your favorite book is a good way to celebrate your dog. Here are some popular literary dog names to inspire you.
53. Alice (French origin) meaning "nobility". From 'Alice In Wonderland'.
54. Arya (Sanskrit origin)meaning "noble one or honorable". From 'Game Of Thrones'
55. Augustus (Greek origin) meaning "majestic". From 'The Fault In Our Stars'.
56. Beatrice (French origin) meaning "blessing or bringer of joy ". From 'Much Ado About Nothing'.
57. Bella (French origin) meaning "beautiful". From the 'Twilight' series.
58. Coraline (American origin) meaning "maiden". From 'Coraline'.
59. Daisy (Old English origin) meaning "days eye". From F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel 'The Great Gatsby'. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a popular author during the Jazz period.
60. Darcy (English origin) meaning "the dark-haired person". From 'Pride And Prejudice' by Jane Austen.
61. Dorothy (Greek origin) meaning "Gods gift". From 'The Wizard Of Oz'.
62. Eloise (French origin), meaning "famous warrior". From 'Eloise At The Plaza'.
63. Gandalf (Norse origin) meaning "vandstaff". From 'Lord of The Rings' and 'The Hobbit' series.
64. Ginny (English origin) meaning "pure". From the 'Harry Potter' series by J.K. Rowling.
65. Gulliver (English origin) meaning "gluten". From 'Gulliver's Travels.'
66. Hagrid (English origin) meaning "worried'. From 'Harry Potter'.
67. Hazel (English origin) meaning "name of tree or color". From 'The Fault In Our Stars'.
68. Hermione (Greek origin) meaning "wellborn". From 'Harry Potter'.
69. Huck (English origin) meaning "the clipped form of Huckleberry". From 'Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain.
70. Katniss (American origin) meaning "an aquatic plant". From 'The Hunger Games'.
71. Matilda (English origin) meaning "might, strength". From 'Matilda' a book by Roald Dahl.
72. Pippi (Greek origin) meaning "lover of horse". From Astrid Lindgren's book 'Eponymous'.
73. Romeo (Italian origin) meaning "from Rome". From 'Romeo And Juliet'.
74. Scout (American origin) meaning "first explorer ". From 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.
75. Sherlock (English origin) meaning " fair-haired". From 'Sherlock Holmes'.
Unique Literary Dog Names
Often pet owners want to name their dog something that stands out from the crowd. One of the best way to do just that is to give them a unique name. Here are some unique literary dog names to inspire you.
76. Adams (Hebrew origin) meaning "the ground". From 'David Copperfield'.
77. Blue (English origin) From 'The Sound And The Fury'.
78. Clifford (English origin) meaning "forged with a cliff". From 'Clifford The Big Red Dog'.
79. Dany (Hebrew origin) meaning "God is my judge". From 'Game Of Thrones'.
80. Dodger (English origin) meaning "artful and strong with every situation". From 'Dodger'.
81. Dorian (Greek origin) meaning "child of the sea". From 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'.
82. Flash (American origin) meaning "bright light". From 'DC Comics'.
83. Helen (Greek origin) meaning "light or bright". From 'Snow Of Kilimanjaro And Other Things' - a short story by Ernest Hemingway.
84. Holden (English origin) meaning "from the hollow in the valley". From 'The Catcher In The Rye'.
85. Jude (Greek origin) meaning "praised". From 'Jude The Obscure'.
86. Lad (English origin) meaning "manservant or young man", from 'Lad, A Dog.'
87. Lady (English origin) meaning "female head of household". From 'Game Of Thrones '.
88. Lolita (Spanish origin) meaning "sorrows". From 'Lolita'.
89. Max (Latin origin) meaning "stream of maccus". From 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'.
90. Nana (French origin) meaning "grace or favor". From 'Peter Pan'.
91. Nick (Greek origin) meaning "people's victory". From 'The Nick Adams Stories'.
92. Ophelia (Greek origin) meaning "helper". From 'Hamlet'.
93. Pandora (Greek origin) meaning "all-giving". From 'Vampire Chronicles'.
94. Pilot (American origin) meaning "ship or plane operator". From 'The Biggles'.
95. Portia (Latin origin) meaning "Roman clan name ". From 'The Merchant Of Venice'.
96. Rhett (English origin) meaning "counsel or advice". From 'Gone With The Wind'.
97. Summer (English origin) meaning "warmest season of the year". From the book Franchise 'Rainbow Magic'.
98. Titan (Greek origin) meaning "defender". From 'The Wreck Of The Titan, or Futility'.
99. Ulysses (Latin origin) meaning "wounded in the thigh". From 'Ulysses'.
100. Ursula (Latin origin) meaning "little bear". From 'Much Ado About Nothing'.
Kidadl has lots more fantastic names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for literary dog names take a look at unisex dog names or for something different, check out Russian pet names.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
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