The name usually comes in the first few hours, often before you even pick the puppy up, sometimes on the drive back from the breeder, when the puppy falls asleep on your lap. And then it stays, for twelve, fifteen years, called in the park, shouted in the woods, whispered on the sofa. That is why it is worth thinking for a moment before it becomes final. Not for long. But for a moment.
Five rules for a good dog name
- Two syllables. They are easiest to call and sound clearly different from commands. "Bruno" works, "Maximilian-Alexander" turns into "Max" anyway.
- A clear vowel at the end. Names ending in -a, -o, -i or -y carry far: Luna, Bruno, Kiki, Sammy.
- No command sound. "Nina" sounds like "Nein" (no), "Litz" like "Sitz" (sit). Say the name out loud, lined up with your commands.
- The embarrassment test. Can you call it three times out loud in the woods while someone is watching? Then it is a good one. "Schnuckiputzi" often fails here.
- It has to still fit in ten years. "Welpi" (little pup) or "Mini" for a dog that will weigh 40 kilos is humour with an expiry date.
The most popular dog names in Germany
TASSO, the largest pet register in Europe with over 6.3 million registered dogs, analyses its new registrations every year. The top is surprisingly stable: Luna has led the females for over ten years, and among the males Milo replaced the long-time leader Balu in 2024.
Females: Luna, Nala, Bella, Frieda, Maja, Emma, Lilly, Amy, Kira, Lotte, Mia, Nele, Paula, Lucy, Elli
Males: Milo, Balu, Charly, Buddy, Bruno, Rocky, Sammy, Max, Leo, Oscar, Teddy, Loki, Bobby, Rex, Benny
Popular does also mean this: in the park, five dogs turn round when you call "Luna". If you want to avoid that, look a little further down.
Names by coat and colour
Black: Nero, Onyx, Kohle (coal), Pepper, Ebony, Shadow, Black, Moody, Zorro, Kiara
White and cream: Snow, Vanilla, Nala, Milky, Coco (for coconut), Casper, Polar, Wolke (cloud), Nube, Ivory
Brown and red: Mocca, Rusty, Cookie, Toffee, Nutella, Cinnamon, Bruno, Ginger, Amber, Fuchsi (little fox)
Gold and blond: Sunny, Goldie, Honey, Mango, Sandy, Blondie, Nugget, Simba, Nala, Amber
Grey and blue: Smokey, Silver, Ash, Sterling, Blue, Nebel (fog), Storm, Greta, Misty, Zinn (pewter)
Spotted and tricolour: Patches, Domino, Oreo, Pixel, Panda, Mosaik (mosaic), Flecki (use with caution), Bandit, Pinto, Harlekin
Names by size
Small dogs: Pixel, Bean, Krümel (crumb), Nugget, Peanut, Gizmo, Fips, Mini (see rule 5), Tiny, Zwerg (dwarf)
Big dogs: Thor, Odin, Bär (bear), Titan, Atlas, Hulk, Goliath, Kodiak, Juno, Hera
Small dog with a big name (always a laugh): Brutus, Rambo, Tyson, Diesel, Godzilla, Kaiser
Names by character
The calm one: Zen, Buddha, Momo, Ruhe (no), Chill, Bodhi, Sam, Otto, Frieda, Greta
The whirlwind: Flitzi, Turbo, Blitz, Storm, Rocket, Pepper, Ziggy, Rocky, Fizz, Loki
The clown: Charlie, Chaplin, Loriot, Otto, Waldi, Bolle, Purzel, Knut, Ewok, Gizmo
The elegant one: Coco, Gustav, Henri, Elsa, Greta, Marlene, Oskar, Vincent, Aurora, Ludwig
Names from film, books and mythology
Balu, Simba, Nala, Marley, Beethoven, Lassie, Hachiko, Snoopy, Idefix, Struppi, Bolt, Lucky, Loki, Thor, Freya, Odin, Hera, Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Luna, Merlin, Gandalf, Frodo, Arya, Khaleesi, Sherlock, Watson, Hermine, Dobby
German classics that are modern again
Frieda, Lotte, Emil, Oskar, Anton, Greta, Paula, Karl, Hugo, Fritz, Ida, Else, Bruno, Heidi, Willi, Kurt, Mathilda, Alma, Hanna, Theo
If the dog already has a name
A dog from a shelter usually comes with a name. You are allowed to change it, especially if it has negative associations. Dogs learn a new name in one to two weeks if it is consistently linked with something good: say the name, treat, done. If the old name sounds good and the dog reacts to it happily, leave it. It has earned it.
And once the name is settled
Then it belongs on the collar, in the TASSO registration and, at some point, under the first portrait. A name in small lettering under the picture, sometimes with the date of moving in, turns a nice picture into a personal one. Technically it is no effort: you add the name to your order, and you see how it sits before printing.
Until then, the name is the only thing you already share. What becomes of it hangs on the wall later, with our dog portraits, as a poster, wooden frame, canvas or acrylic glass.
If the name is the first thing you decide, the rest follows quickly: house training, bite inhibition, being left alone. What is coming up in the first months is covered in our book Welpenerziehung & Junghundtraining (Puppy Training & Young Dog Training).
Keep reading
- The first 3 days with a puppy: what else to settle before it moves in
- The first 30 days with a puppy: the plan for afterwards
- Puppy training: the 5 rules: so that the name sinks in too
Figures on the most popular dog names: TASSO e.V., press release of 09.01.2025 on the new registrations of 2024, based on over 6.3 million registered dogs. Accessed on 19.09.2026.
The links to our books are affiliate links. If you buy through them, you support us at no extra cost to you.
