Baby names that have animal meanings
Our choice of boys’ and girls’ names that have animal meanings.
Names with animal meanings are an increasingly popular trend when choosing baby names, so here’s our top choices for boys and girls.
Some parents even choose the literal animal names for their children such as actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers who named his son, Wolf. But you could also take inspiration from the nation’s favourite names for cats and dogs.
Boys’ animal names
Callum: Of Scottish origin meaning ‘dove.’
Channing: Is of English or Irish origin and means ‘wolf cub.’
Jaguar: The English name for the wild cat, jaguar.
Lowell: Of French origin and means ‘young wolf.’
Orson: Comes from Latin and English origin and means ‘bear cub.’
Tiger: The English name for the wild cat, tiger.
Wolf: The English name for the wild beast, wolf.
Fox: The English name for a fox.
Jonah: Is of Hebrew origin and means ‘dove.’
Benno: Is of German origin and means ‘bear.’
Lonan: Of Irish origin and means ‘blackbird.’
Lynx: The English name for a lynx.
Pike: The English name for the fish, a pike.
Conan: Is of Irish origin and means ‘little wolf.’
Arthur: Is of Celtic origin and means ‘bear.’
Cat and dog names for boys
Ben
Max
Alf/Alfie
Charlie
Sam
Rex
Spike
Jack
Bobby
Felix
Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at our boys' baby names section and the perfect name for your little one.
Girls’ animals names
Ariel: Popular from the Disney classic, Little Mermaid and is of Hebrew origin meaning ‘lion of God.’
Aviana: Is of Latin origin and means ‘bird.’
Rudy: Is of German origin and means ‘famous wolf.’
Sable: The English name for sable.
Tabitha: Is of Aramaic origin meaning ‘gazelle.’
Wren: Is an English bird name.
Fauna: Is of Latin origin and means ‘animals of a specific area.’
Leonie: Is of Latin origin and means ‘lion.’
Madigan: Is of Irish origin and means ‘little dog.’
Paloma: Is of Spanish origin and means ‘dove.’
Pippa: Is of English origin and means ‘lover of horses.’
Tala: Is of Native American origin and means ‘wolf.’
Yaya: Is of Arabic origin and means ‘small butterfly.’
Garcia: Is of Spanish and Portuguese origin and means ‘bear.’
Rachel: In Hebrew means ‘ewe.’
Cat and dog names for girls:
Bella
Molly
Jess/Jessie
Poppy
Daisy
Ellei
Meg/Megan
Misty
Harriet
Rosie
If you enjoyed this page, be sure to check out more names for your little girl or get inspired by our unique and unusual names.