Written by pet expert Melissa Kauffman. Melissa has spent 25 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. Prior to starting her career in publishing, Melissa spent eight years working in veterinary hospitals where she assisted veterinarians as they treated dogs, cats, rabbits, pocket pets, reptiles, birds and one memorable lion cub.
Finding the perfect name for your beloved dog can be fun, but also a little daunting with such a vast array of options to choose from.
There are many great theme ideas to draw inspiration from, one of which is the great outdoors. Taking some ideas from nature is a great way to find beautifully unique names and means even more to those dog-owners who love the outdoors.
To help you along, we’ve put together 100 + dog names inspired by nature. As you will see, some are male, female, or unisex, and some come from foreign languages. Still, all are inspired by aspects of nature or the elements and with a few specific breed suitability examples along the way.
- Aki: Autumn in Japan
- Alfresco: Out in the open air
- Aria: Italian for ‘air’
- Aspen: A tall tree whose leaves move a lot in the wind
- Aster: A member of the daisy family
- Autumn: The beautiful fall season
- Azzurra: Italian for ‘blue sky’ – a great name for blue dog breeds like Kerry Blue Terriers
- Barley: A tall, grassy crop
- Bear: Perfect for a big, cuddly breed
- Birch: A slender tree
- Birdie: Maybe your dog is light on its feet or loves watching birds
- Blizzard: Overabundance of energy – wild and hard to tame (Malamute, or American Eskimo)
- Blue: Color inspired by nature
- Brier: French for ‘nature’ – a lovely nature-inspired choice for a french breed of dog
- Brook: A stream
- Caden: Marshland
- Canyon: Gorge
- Cephas: Greek for ‘rock/stone’
- Chloe: A green shoot
- Clay: a stiff type of soil/earth, also related to creativity
- Cliff: A steep, sheer rock face
- Clover: A plant leaf, associated with good luck
- Coal: Rock or charred wood
- Colorado:
- Copper: An element as well as an earthy color
- Cricket: An insect
- Dakota: Native American for ‘friend’
- Dale (Dael): Valley
- Darya: Persian for ‘Ocean’
- Dove: Bird – a symbol of peace
- Dusty: Of the earth
- Earwyn: Meaning ‘friend of the sea’
- Echo: sounds reverberating in open space
- Eco: Latin for ‘of the environment’
- Elm: Deciduous tree
- Everest: Famously the tallest mountain on earth, great for giant breeds or dogs who love mountain climbing
- Fabio: Spanish for ‘bean grower’
- Farley: Woodland clearing
- Fern: A plant
- Fleur: Old French meaning of ‘flower’
- Flint: Rock
- Forrest: Of the woods
- Gaia: Greek for ‘from the earth’
- Ginko: A Chinese tree
- Goldie: Inspired by the precious metal, gold and obviously perfect for golden-coated breeds
- Green: Prominent color found in nature
- Hawk: Majestic bird of prey
- Holly: A (festive) plant
- Honey: Sweet, natural product from bees
- Ivy: A climbing plant of deep green
- Jasper: A semi-precious stone
- Jet: A shiny black gemstone
- Jupiter: 5th planet from the sun
- Ka: Ocean in Hawaiian
- Karma: Universal lay of Sanskrit
- Kodiak: The U.S. Kodiak islands
- Lana: Gaelic for ‘little rock
- Lark: Songbird
- Luna: The moon, also good for black-coated dogs representing nighttime
- Lupo: Italian for ‘wolf’
- Mammoth: A Californian mountain (and a huge extinct prehistoric animal)
- Mango: A stone fruit
- Maple: The tree
- Marin: French for ‘love the ocean’
- Mercury: Planet or atomic element
- Nickel: A metal
- North: The cardinal direction
- Oakley: Wood clearing
- Ocean: Powerful yet peaceful, mysterious
- Onyx: One of the most precious of nature’s stones, ideal for black dogs such as a Newfoundland or Black Russian Terrier
- Peaches: A sweet stone fruit
- Pearl: An ocean treasure
- Pluto: Formerly the 9th planet in the solar system but too small to remain a planet – great for smaller dogs
- Quest: Exploration – perfect for active, adventurous dogs
- Quill: Wing or tail feathers of a bird
- Rain: Another powerful yet peaceful force of nature
- Raven: A striking blackbird
- Ridge: The spine of a mountain – great for mountain-loving breeds, and, of course, the Rhodesian Ridgeback!
- River: Flow of water, conjuring up beautiful scenes of the outdoors
- Ruby: A precious jewel from nature
- Sahara: The largest desert in the world – great for female dogs or any desert breeds like the Cairn Terrier
- Sequoia: The largest tree on Earth (by volume)
- Shadow: Casts of light – perfect for a doggy that doesn’t leave your side!
- Sienna: An earthy pigment used for painting
- Silver: Precious metal
- Sky: Abundant, soothing, expansive
- Sol: Spanish for ‘sun’
- Stella: Of the stars
- Storm: chaotic, powerful, awe-inspiring
- Talia: The morning dew
- Teal: Beautiful blue-green earthy color
- Terra: Greek goddess of Earth
- Thorn: From ‘Thorne’
- Topaz: Gemstone
- Vernon: From the Gaelic word ‘Vern’ meaning ‘Alder tree’
- Willow: A type of tree – whimsical
- Winter: The season – beautiful and strong
- Wolfe: As in Wolf
- Wren: Meaning ‘from the farm’ – perfect for a farm dog
- Xia: Chinese name meaning ‘glow of the sunrise’
One more for luck
Finally, here is one last idea that we can’t leave out – Zola. There are varying opinions as to the origins of this name, but many sources suggest that it derives from Latin and simply means ‘Earth.’ No better word could encompass the entire breadth of nature and all of its glory than the word ‘Earth’ – or a Latin variation of the same!