Whether you are searching for British names for your new puppy from an English dog breed–or you have fallen in love with the England (or British TV!) and would like to give your dog an inspired name–we’ve rounded up some of the best British dog names. From British slang and candy to the most popular names (and nicknames), you’ll find hundreds of ideas to help you give your new fur baby a unique and special name.
British slang words and phrases that make fun dog names
- Barmy: crazy
- Bevvy: short for beverages
- Blimey: a term to show surprise
- Bloke: a man; used similarly to “dude”
- Cheeky: an adjective to describe someone who is disrespectful
- Cheerio: goodbye
- Cheers: good wishes before drinking or expressing good wishes when departing
- Chippy: a place to pick up fish and chips
- Chuffed: to be happy with (and you know you’ll be happy with your dog!)
- Cuppa: a cuppa tea, of course
- Dishy: an adjective describing someone who is attractive
- Fancy: a verb to show interest in something you want
- Footie: the nickname for football (soccer in the US)
- Gaffer: boss
- Gobby: someone who talks too much and is very opinionated
- Grasser: an informant
- Jiffy: right away
- Jolly Good: very good
- Kerfuffle: a disagreement
- Lad: a young man
- Lairy: someone brash and loud
- Muppet: someone who doesn’t have a clue what they are doing
- Nosh: food
- Oi: an exclamation like “hey!”
- Patch: local area where you work
- Pip Pip: goodbye (old-fashioned slang)
- Porkies: lies; this is a Cockney rhyming slang term in that pork pies rhymes with lies
- Proper: used as an adjective to mean “very”
- Quid: a British pound
- Rambler: someone who likes to take long country walks
- Ta Ta: goodbye
- Tally Ho: the call of a huntsman when spotting a fox
- Toodle-oo: goodbye
- Twitcher: someone who tries to spot new bird species
- Wobbly: a tantrum
British girls’ nicknames
- Bina: Sabrina
- Bridie: short for Bridget
- Bunny: Bernice
- Bunty: used as a pet name in reference to bunting by lambs
- Cammie: Camilla
- Effie: Euphemia
- Izzy: Isabel
- Lexie: Alexandra
- Meggy: Margaret
- Pippa: Philippa
- Tibby: Tabitha
- Tottie: Charlotte
- Treena: Catriona, Katrina
British boys’ nicknames
- Archie: Archibald
- Barney: Barnabas
- Cy: Cyrus
- Gord: Gordon
- Monty: Montague
- Morie: Maurice
- Nobb: Robert
- Ozzie: Oswald
- Perrin: Peter
- Pip: Philip
- Rabbie: Robert
- Rafe: Ralph (Rafe also means “wolf counsel”)
- Rolf: Ralph
- Solly: Solomon
- Stu: Stewart
- Waldo: Oswald
- Wally: Walter
British Candy Names
- Aero
- Bounty
- Cadbury
- Curly Wurly
- Humbugs
- Jelly Babies
- Malteser
- Toffee
- Wine Gums
- Wispa
- Yorkie
- more Candy Dog Names
British auto brands that make fun names for dog-loving car buffs
- Aston Martin
- Bentley
- Jaguar
- Lotus
- McLaren
- Mini
- Rolls-Royce
- Vauxhall
Authors
You also might like: 350+ Irish Dog Names
- Austen
- Blake
- Bronte
- Christie
- Dahl
- Dickens
- Fleming
- Milton
- Rowling (see our Harry Potter dog names for more inspiration)
- Shakespeare
- Shelley
- Swift (what a fun name for a future agility dog!)
- Tolkien
- Woolf
Gifts and stores as dog names
- Burberry
- Dyson
- Fortnum and Mason
- Harris — Maker of Harris Tweed; Tweed also makes a nice name!
- Harrods
- Marks (and Spencer, if you’re adopting a pair of dogs!)
- Tetley
- Twinings
British TV Detective Shows
- Father Brown (a fun name for an older brown dog!)
- George Gently
- Lewis
- Luther
- Sherlock (don’t miss our entire post of Sherlock Holmes dog names)
- Vera
- Wallander
British dog names: male
Want to select one of the most popular English baby boy names? According to the General Register Office (GRO), these are some of the most popular boys’ names in England, both now and in the past:
- Adam
- Alan
- Albert
- Albie
- Alec
- Alexander
- Alfie
- Alfred
- Allan
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Archibald
- Archie
- Arlo
- Arnold
- Arthur
- Benjamin
- Bernard
- Bertie
- Bertram
- Cecil
- Charles
- Charlie
- Christopher
- Clarence
- Claude
- Clifford
- Colin
- Cyril
- Daniel
- David
- Denis
- Dennis
- Donald
- Douglas
- Dylan
- Edgar
- Edmund
- Edward
- Edwin
- Eric
- Ernest
- Ethan
- Evan
- Finley
- Francis
- Frank
- Frankie
- Fred
- Freddie
- Frederick
- Geoffrey
- George
- Gerald
- Gilbert
- Gordon
- Harold
- Harry
- Hector
- Henry
- Herbert
- Horace
- Howard
- Hubert
- Hugh
- Hugo
- Ivor
- Jack
- James
- Jesse
- John
- Joseph
- Jude
- Kenneth
- Laurence
- Lawrence
- Leo
- Leonard
- Leslie
- Lewis
- Liam
- Lionel
- Logan
- Louis
- Mark
- Martin
- Mason
- Matthew
- Maurice
- Max
- Michael
- Morris
- Noah
- Norman
- Oliver
- Owen
- Patrick
- Percival
- Percy
- Peter
- Philip
- Ralph
- Raymond
- Reggie
- Reginald
- Reuben
- Richard
- Robert
- Roland
- Roman
- Ronald
- Rory
- Samuel
- Sidney
- Stanley
- Stephen
- Sydney
- Thomas
- Tom
- Victor
- Walter
- Wilfred
- William
British dog names: female
There’s definitely a trend to name our dog with human monikers; here’s a look at the most popular English baby names for girls according to the General Register Office:
- Ada
- Agnes
- Alice
- Amelia
- Amy
- Ann
- Anne
- Annie
- Aria
- Ayla
- Barbara
- Beatrice
- Bertha
- Bessie
- Blanche
- Caroline
- Catherine
- Charlotte
- Christina
- Clara
- Constance
- Daisy
- Darcie
- Dora
- Doris
- Dorothy
- Eden
- Edith
- Edna
- Eileen
- Eleanor
- Eliza
- Elizabeth
- Ella
- Ellen
- Elodie
- Elsie
- Emily
- Esme
- Emma
- Esther
- Ethel
- Eva
- Evelyn
- Evie
- Fanny
- Florence
- Frances
- Freda
- Gertrude
- Gladys
- Grace
- Gwendoline
- Hannah
- Harriet
- Helen
- Hilda
- Ida
- Irene
- Iris
- Isabella
- Isla
- Ivy
- Jane
- Janet
- Jasmine
- Jean
- Jessie
- Joan
- Kate
- Kathleen
- Lara
- Laura
- Lilian
- Lillian
- Lilly
- Lily
- Lola
- Lottie
- Louisa
- Lucy
- Lydia
- Lyra
- Mabel
- Maeve
- Margaret
- Margery
- Maria
- Marie
- Marion
- Marjorie
- Martha
- Mary
- Maud
- May
- Mia
- Mildred
- Millicent
- Minnie
- Miriam
- Muriel
- Myla
- Nancy
- Nellie
- Nora
- Norah
- Olive
- Olivia
- Orla
- Penelope
- Phyllis
- Rachel
- Rose
- Rosina
- Ruby
- Ruth
- Sarah
- Summer
- Thea
- Vera
- Violet
- Winifred
- Zara
Attractions, Cities and Place Names in England
- Avon
- Bath
- Big Ben
- Brighton
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Canterbury
- Carlisle
- Chester
- Cornwall
- Cotswolds
- Derby
- Devon
- Dorset
- Dover
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Penny Lane
- Skye
- Stonehenge
- Thames
- Wight
- Windsor (Don’t miss our post on Royal Dog Names!)
- York
Is your dog English?
Does your dog’s breed or mix of breeds include English ancestry? (We also have a list of Scottish dog names if your dog hails from a little further north!) Here’s a list of English dog breeds that might prompt you to select one of these British dog names:
- Airedale Terrier: The “King of Terriers” hails from the countryside near the River Aire in Yorkshire.
- Beagle: Dating back to Elizabethan times, the most famous Beagle of all is Snoopy of Charlie Brown fame.
- Bedlington Terrier: This lamb-like dog was traces its roots back to the mining community of Bedlington in North East England.
- Border Collie: First developed in Scotland, this Border Collie flourished in the border region between England and Scotland.
- Border Terrier: Like the Border Collie, this scrappy little terrier hails from the border region between England and Scotland.
- Bull Terrier: The Bull Terr
- Bulldog: The Bulldog’s lineage is a little fuzzy but enthusiasts believe this breed dates back to 13th century England.
- Bullmastiff: Bred as guard dogs, the Bullmastiff dates back to 19th century England.
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: A favorite with Queen Victoria, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was bred to warm laps in chilly castles.
- Clumber Spaniel: With ancestry traced back to France, the Clumber Spaniel is named for Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.
- Curly-coated Retriever: The ancestry of the Curly-coated Retriever is a mystery but it is believe they were developed in England in the 1800s.
- Dandie Dinmont Terrier: Like the Border Collie and Border Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier hails from the border region between Scotland and England.ier was developed in the 19th century by James Hinks of Birmingham, England.
- English Cocker Spaniel: The English Cocker Spaniel was first bred in the UK to hunt woodcock, hence their name.
- English Foxhound: Bred to hunt fox, records dating back over two centuries show the registration of English Foxhound.
- English Mastiff: Although the mastiff type dogs hail from around the world, systematic breeding of the English Mastiff dates back over two centuries as gamekeepers of large estates developed a large guard dog.
- English Pointer: With ancestors in Spain and Portugal, British breeders developed the English Pointer to assist hunters.
- English Setter: References to these dogs date back 400 years but the modern English Setter was developed in the 1800s from two foundation dogs named Ponto and Old Moll.
- English Springer Spaniel: The English Springer Spaniel’s roots probably can be traced back to Spain but the British made this breed their own with the development of a line starting in Shropshire, England.
- English Toy Terrier: This dog (better known in the US as a toy Manchester Terrier) was bred in England and evolved from the Old English Black and Tan Terrier.
- Field Spaniel: This hunting dog, now rare even in the UK, was first developed in England in the early 1800s.
- Flat-coated Retriever: This gun dog was developed in England in the mid 1800s and was especially popular as a gamekeeper’s dog.
- Greyhound: The Greyhound was first used for hunting game and sport in England; even its name speaks to its roots, derived from the Old English word grighund.
- Jack Russell Terrier and Parson Russell Terrier: Reverend John “Jack” Russell developed the Jack Russell Terrier and slightly taller Parson Russell Terrier breeds in Swimbridge, a village and home to Swimbridge Church. Russell lived in the parsonage and developed these namesake breeds there.
- King Charles Spaniel: Slightly smaller than the more popular Cavalier, the King Charles Spaniel is so named because of the fondness King Charles II had for toy spaniels.
- Lakeland Terrier: Dating back to the 1700s, the Lakeland Terrier traces its roots back to, you guessed it, England’s Lake District.
- Lancashire Heeler: This small heeler originated in the 1600s in the county of Lancashire in North West England.
- Manchester Terrier: Breeding of this terrier began in the mid 1800s in and around the city of Manchester.
- Miniature Bull Terrier: The now-extinct English White Terrier went into the breeding of the Miniature Bull Terrier in England in the mid 19th century.
- Norfolk Terrier: Developed in East Anglia in eastern England, the Norfolk Terrier is named for the county of Norfolk.
- Norwich Terrier: Like the Norfolk Terrier, the Norwich Terrier hails from the county of Norfolk; in that county, Norwich is the county town (similar to a county seat in the US).
- Old English Sheepdog: Like this big lovable balls of fur, the exact origin of the Old English Sheepdog is fuzzy…but the breed was believed to originate in Southwestern England and its modern day look refined in the areas of Devon and Somerset.
- Otterhound: The first mentions of this now-rare dog were in the early 19th century in North-West England.
- Smooth Fox Terrier: While the earliest days of this breed are unclear, the Smooth Fox Terrier was the first breed recognized by England’s Kennel Club in 1875.
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier: This dog, known in England as the “Nanny Dog,” was developed in the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands area of England.
- Sussex Spaniel: This sporting dog was developed in the 1700s in the county of Sussex in southern England.
- Whippet: This descendant of the Greyhound originated in England; the line of dogs that became the modern Whippet was most popular in Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands.
- Wire Fox Terrier: This breed was developed in England as a fox hunting dog.
- Yorkshire Terrier: The Yorkshire Terrier was first bred in the county of Yorkshire in northern England; the breed was developed to control vermin in the mines and textile factories of the area.
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UK Baby name lists contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Paris Permenter is the award-winning co-author, with John Bigley, of over 30 pet and travel books including The Healthy Hound Cookbook and Texas with Dogs, both available through Simon and Schuster. Paris is also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America.
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