Are you adding an Aussie to your heart and home? Congratulations! We’ve fetched Australian Shepherd names inspired by everything from Aussie slang to your new puppy’s coat color.
Australian Shepherds really got their start in the Pyrenees Mountain; the Basque shepherds worked the region with their Pyrenean Shepherds. When the shepherds moved to Australia, they took their dogs with them where the dogs bred with Collies and Border Collies.
Eventually the Basque shepherds moved on to California with their dogs; when they arrived, people thought the dog breed was Australian and hence the name! Since that time, they have been a favorite working dog on Western ranches as well as a loving family member.
Our Australian Shepherd Spotlight: Tiki
Our Aussie mix Tiki embodies so many of the personality traits that make Aussies such special dogs. She loves meeting new people, she loves the outdoors and she’s as smart as smart can be!
We chose Tiki’s name because we were looking for a tropical dog name having just finished writing a guidebook to Jamaica. It’s the perfect fit for her joyous personality!
Basque Names for Your Fur Baby
The Basque shepherds who launched this special breed hailed from Northern Spain and Southwest France, speaking a language called Basque or Euskara. Here’s a look at some popular Basque names that hark back to your Aussie’s roots:
- Alaia: a girl’s name meaning happy
- Alazne: miracle (feminine)
- Argi: light (masculine)
- Asier: the beginning
- Bitxi: gem
- Eder: handsome
- Esti: honey (feminine)
- Fede: faith
- Garbi: pure
- Ibai: river
- Itzal: shadow or protection (for the velco Aussie who becomes your shadow!)
- Izar: star
- Lore: flower (feminine)
- Mendia: mountain
- Negu: winter
- Ortzi: sky (feminine)
- Pauli: small (feminine)
- Udara: summer
- Unai: herd of cattle
- Usoa: dove
- Zeru: sky (masculine)
- Zorion: happiness
- Zubia: bridge
Names for Mini Australian Shepherds
- Aiden: “little fire”
- Aleda or Aleida: “small winged one” (a fun name for a mini Aussie agility star!)
- Atom
- Brownie or Broonie: a small Scottish name for a fairy said to inhabit homes
- Duni: Kenyan name meaning small
- Inika: Indian name meaning small earth
- Lassie: small girl
- Minnie (or Mini)
- Nixie: a small water sprite
- Pixie
- Ryan: “little king”
- Sprite: a small being
- Tinkerbell
Australian slang that makes good Australian Shepherd puppy names!
- Arvo: afternoon
- Barbie: barbecue
- Biccy: short for biscuit (cookie)
- Billy: teapot over a campfire
- Blimey: an exclamation showing surprise, like crikey
- Bluey: Bluey is Australian slang for a person with red hair–so it would be a fitting name for a Red or Red Merle Aussie!
- Bonzer: excellent
- Brekky: breakfast
- Brolly: umbrella
- Bub: term of endearment for a child
- Bushie: someone living in the bush
- Chewie: chewing gum (or a fun name for an Aussie puppy who loves to chew a little too much!)
- Cobber: a very good friend
- Conch: someone who would rather work than play (Conchy is used to describe someone like this–or maybe a dog who loves to work!)
- Crikey: exclamation showing surprise
- Darl: darling
- Evo: evening
- Facey: Facebook
- Footy: Used for both Australian Rules Football (AFL) and Rugby League (NRL) football
- Good On Ya: good work
- Lollie: sweets, candy (or a sweet name for a blue heeler puppy!)
- Maccas: McDonald’s
- Mate: friend
- Middy: beer in parts of Australia
- Rellie: a relative
- Selfie: yep, we may all know this term now but it originated in Australia!
- Servo: service station
- Sheila: a woman
- Straya: Australia
- Stubby: bottle of beer (or a fun name for an Aussie with a naturally bobbed tail)
- Surfy: someone in the surfing culture
- Tinny: beer served in a can
- Yobbo: someone causing trouble
Ranch Names for Working Aussies
Do you plan to adopt an Aussie from a working line to herd cattle or sheep? Or are you just in love with the idea of a ranching lifestyle. Australian Shepherds have a long history as working dogs, from Europe to Australia to America. We’ve fetched some Australian ranching terms that make fun names:
- Brumby: wild horse
- Grazier: Australian rancher
- Jackaroo: young man working on an Australian sheep or cattle station (ranch)
- Jillaroo: young woman working on an Australian sheep or cattle station (ranch)
- Ringer: station hand, often temporary
- Station: ranch
- Stockman: term for Australian cowboy
- Swag: bedroll
Related post: Cowboy Dog Names
Names for Black Australian Shepherds
- Ciara: the feminine version of Ciaran
- Ciaran or Kieren: little dark haired one
- Coal or Cole
- Darcy: dark one
- Duncan: dark warrior
- Ebony
- Hershey
- Jet or Jett
- Licorice
- Lilith: night monster
- Onyx
- Oreo
- Taffy
Related post: Black Dog Names & Their Meanings
Names for Blue or Blue Merle Aussies
- Aqua
- Azul (blue in Spanish)
- Azure
- Beryl
- Bleu
- Blue
- Dapple
- Flicker
- Freckles
- Indigo
- Lapis
- Marlais (Welsh name meaning blue)
- Merle
- Mottle
- Navy
- Paint
- Pepper
- Peppery
- Sapphire
- Speckles
- Spotty
- Sprinkles
- Stormy
- Topaz
- Turquoise
Names for Red or Red Merle Aussies
- Blaze
- Blush
- Cherry
- Chili
- Copper
- Firey
- Ladybug
- Maple
- Mars
- Red Dog
- Red Hot
- Rowan (“red haired”)
- Ruby
- Strawberry
- Sunrise
- Sunset
Words Associated with Australia
- Billabong
- Boomerang
- Crocodile
- Didgeridoo
- Dingo
- G’day
- Koala
- Oz
- Pavlova (Australian Christmas dessert)
- Roo (Kangaroo)
- Uluru
- Ute (utility vehicle)
- Vegemite
- Walkabout
- Wombat
Australian Place Names That Make Fun Aussie Names
- Adelaide
- Aussie
- Blinky (Blinky Beach)
- Bondi (Bondi Beach)
- Brisbane — or Brissy
- Cairns
- Canberra
- Darwin
- Geelong
- Hobart
- Melbourne
- Newie (Newcastle)
- Noosa (Noosa Beach)
- Outback
- Perth
- Tasmania
- Toowoomba
- Victoria
Pin it to remember these Aussie Names
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