Dog Names Starting With D – Inspiration Lists

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In this article, you will find lists of dog names starting with D to provide naming inspiration.

How do you choose the perfect name for your dog? In most cases, it is really just a matter of exposing yourself to inspiration until you find something that feels right.

But searching around for ideas can be hard because there are just so many potential options! It is often a great idea to narrow down your choices based on an idea, a character trait, or, in this case, a letter of the alphabet.

This page is for those who have decided to choose a name starting with the letter D for their dog.

This may be because you already have a lot of D names in your family, your last name starts with D, or you just like the sound of “D” the dog. Whatever your reason, you will find lists with various different D names below.

Maybe you won’t find the exact name that you are looking for here today, but hopefully, the inspiration provided will help point you in the right direction.

I’ll also share some “sense checking” tips for dog names at the end of the article so you can be sure you have chosen something fitting and appropriate for your newest family member.

Female Dog Names Starting With D

Bringing home a girl dog? Check out these classic female dog names starting with the letter D.

• Dakota – Native American name meaning “friendly”
• Dainty – for delicate little pups
• Daishi – Japanese name meaning “aspire”
• Daisy – after the delicate field flower
• Dandelion – for the light little flower
• Daphne – like the brainy one in Scooby-Doo
• Darcy – a French name meaning “dark one”
• Dawn – especially if they like to wake everyone up early!
• Dazzle – for charismatic dogs
• Deedee – perfect for smaller dogs
• Delicate – for a little princess
• Delicious – for pups good enough to eat
• Delilah – after the song, “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s
• Delta – ideal for stealthy pups
• Dew (or Dewdrop) – for smaller parcels of cuteness
• Diamond – for your little jewel
• Diana – like Lady Diana and the amazing Amazon Wonder Woman
• Disco – for sparkly dogs
• Dixie – perfect for southern pups
• Dior – like the famous designer and fragrance
• Diva – for dogs that always get their own way
• Divine – for your little goddess
• Dolly – like the queen of country herself
• Domino – cute for black and white dogs
• Donna – for your little lady that owns the house
• Dora – like Dora the Explorer
• Dot – cute if they have spots on their coats
• Dotty – especially if they tend to be a little clumsy
• Dusky – nice for dark-colored dogs
• Dusty – perfect for gray pups

Male Dog Names Starting With D

Adopting a male dog? Take a look at this list of male dog names starting with D to see if you find anything that appeals to you.

• Dachs – ideal for sausage dogs, Dachshunds
• Dan – means “God is my judge”
• Dane – inspired by the Norsemen
• Dante – for pups with a dangerous edge
• Dash – ideal for runners
• David – after the Hebrew King David
• Declan – an Irish name meaning “full of goodness”
• Delta – for stealthy dogs who love to sneak up on you
• Denver – an Old English name meaning “green valley”
• Dennis – for Dennis the Menace or actor Dennis Quaid
• Desi – for actor Desi Arnaz, the husband of Lucille Ball
• Devil – for trouble makers
• Dewey – a cute name for smaller dogs
• Diablo – the Spanish name for the devil
• Diego – a cute Latin name
• Diesel – for dogs with lots of energy
• Digger – for dogs that love to burrow
• Dingo – after the wild Australian dog
• DJ – for dogs that love to make some noise
• Doc – for intelligent dogs
• Dodger – like the major league baseball team
• Doge – for a little Italian lord
• Dojo – nice for lover of Karate
• Dolphin – after the intelligent sea creature
• Dominic – means “of the Lord”
• Donatello – for the artist and Ninja Turtle
• Dozer – when they tend to bulldoze through everything
• Drago – a Slavic name meaning “precious”
• Dragon – perfect if they have a vicious bark
• Drax – a unique alternative to “dragon”
• Driver – for dogs that take the lead
• Droopy – good for dogs with long, droopy ears or fans of the classic cartoon dog
• Dug – when you know you are saying goodbye to your garden (also the dog in the Pixar movie Up)
• Duke – for commanding and adventurous pups

Food-Inspired Names Starting With D

Our puppies often look and feel just as scrumptious as our favorite foods, so why not name your dog after one of these delicious D foods?

• Dahl – the Indian pulse dish
• Daikon – a cute little radish
• Damson – the yellow plum
• Dandan – spicy Chinese noodles
• Danish – like the pastry treat
• Dasheen – the Asian corn staple
• Date – like the wrinkly dried fruit
• Dauphinoise – like the creamy potato dish
• Deli – for everyone’s favorite meat emporium
• Dijon – as in the mustard
• Dilkush – a bread dish literally called “something that makes you happy”
• Dill – the tasty herb
• Dolce – meaning “sweet”
• Dolmas – leaves stuffed with rice
• Doner – as in the kebab
• Donut – round and delicious
• Dosa – South Indian thin pancake
• Dough – the fluffy, uncooked bread
• Droewors – South African sausage
• Dumpling – the delicious stuffed treat
• Durian – the Malaysian fruit

D Names Inspired By Celebrities And Characters

Pop culture is always a great source of inspiration for quirky names. Check out these D names from celebrities and characters.

• D’Artagnan – one of the Musketeers
• Daenerys – after the blonde mother of dragons from Game of Thrones
• Daffy – after the Looney Toons duck
• Damon – as in Damon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries
• Dandara – a Brazilian freedom fighter
• Danger Mouse – for the diminutive cartoon hero
• Darcy – like Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Darcy
• Daredevil – after the blind superhero
• Daria – the ironic cartoon character
• Darth – like a Sith lord from Star Wars
• Darwin – like the scientist Charles Darwin
• Data – after the Star Trek characters
• Davy Jones – the devil at the bottom of the sea
• Deadpool – for the superhero played by Ryan Reynolds
• Dean – as in Supernatural’s Dean Winchester
• Debbie – like Singin’ in the Rain actress Debbie Reynolds
• Demi – for singer Demi Lovato (or actress Demi Moore)
• Denzel – after actor Denzel Washington
• Destiny – for the famous girl band Destiny’s Child
• DeVito – for diminutive actor Danny DeVito
• Dexter – like the loveable fictional serial killer
• Diddy – for the American music magnate
• Disney – after Walt Disney himself
• Django – Tarantino’s Unchained hero
• Dobby – for the House Elf in Harry Potter
• Dolores – for the villainous Dolores Umbridge
• Domitian – after the Roman emperor
• Don Draper – after the character in Mad Men
• Don Juan – the famous lover
• Don Quixote – the clueless Spanish adventurer
• Donald – like the famous duck
• Dorian – for Dorian Gray, the famous narcissist
• Doris – for musical star Doris Day
• Doobie – like the American band The Doobie brothers
• Doogie – like Doogie Howser M.D.
• Doolittle – for the doctor who could talk to the animals
• Doom – for Dr. Doom, the villain in the Fantastic Four
• Donnie Darko – for fans of the mind-twisting film
• Dorothy – the girl who travels to Oz
• Dory – the forgetful fish from Finding Nemo
• Draco – after Draco Malfoy
• Drake – like the American singer
• Dua Lipa – like the songstress
• Dudley – after pudgy Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter’s cousin
• Dumbledore – like the wizarding headmaster
• Dursley – after Harry Potter’s muggle family
• Dustin – for Dustin Hoffman
• Dwayne – like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson
• Dylan – like musician Bob Dylan

Geographic D Names

Various places around the world have some of the most interesting names, so why not steal one of these geographical place names for your dog?

• Daehan – the official name for South Korea
• Dakar – largest city in Senegal
• Dallas – the Texan city
• Damas or Damascus – the holy city
• Daniya – the Russian name for Denmark
• Danube – the famous European river
• Daytona – as in the Florida beach
• Delphi – the Greek city of the oracle
• Denmark – one of the Viking homelands
• Detroit – home of the motor vehicle industry
• Devon – English county
• Djibouti – country located on the horn of Africa
• Doha – the capital of Qatar
• Dover – the white cliffs in England that overlook the channel
• Dresden – a German city
• Dubai – rich Arab city
• Dublin – the vibrant capital of Ireland
• Dutch – splitting the bill or the people of the Netherlands
• Durban – the South African city

Divine Names Starting With D

Your D named dog is destined to be divine, so why not name them after a deity from around the world?

• Dactyls – the Greek magician and blacksmith
• Daeira – a nymph of the Eleusinian mysteries
• Daemona – spirits of the air, earth, sea, and underworld in Greek myth
• Dagda – Celtic god of magic, wisdom, and heaven
• Dagon – the Mesopotamian god of wind and air
• Daikokuten – the Japanese god of wealth, commerce, and trade
• Damasen – a giant who slew a fearsome dragon
• Damballah – an African god of serpents and the dead
• Damia – a Greek spirit of spring fertility
• Damysus – the fastest of the Greek giants
• Danais – a beloved nymph
• Danu – Celtic goddess of the earth
• Daphne – nymph chased by the amorous Apollo
• Daramulum – the Australian Aboriginal god of the sky and weather
• Dazhbog – Slavic god of light
• Deimus – god of terror that accompanies war
• Demeter – Olympian goddess of the fertile earth
• Desponia – daughter of Poseidon and Demeter
• Detinos – the Filipino god of darkness
• Dian – the Celtic god of violence
• Diana – the goddess of the hunt
• Dike – Greek goddess of justice
• Dion – fortune telling goddess and mother of Aphrodite
• Dionysus – god of wine and festivities
• Dioscuri – two demigods that aided sailors and live among the stars as the constellation Gemini
• Dodona – a Greek ocean nymphs
• Dolus – the male personification of trickery and deceit
• Dother – the Celtic god of evil
• Dua – the Egyptian god of sanitation and (yes, really!) toilets
• Dub – the Celtic god of blackness
• Dryad – nymph of the trees
• Dysnomia – female personification of lawlessness

Top Tips For Naming Your Dog

There aren’t any strict rules for choosing the right name for your dog, but there are some tips to bear in mind when choosing a name so you can feel confident that you have chosen something you will truly be happy with in the long term.

1. Choose something short, ideally only one or two syllables, or something that can be shortened in an easily understandable way. It is easier for dogs to learn shorter names, which means they will be responding when you call sooner.
2. Avoid names that sound too much like commands that you will use regularly, as this can just confuse your pup. Remember, while dogs are very intelligent, they don’t actually understand language in the more complex way that humans do; they are just recognizing familiar sounds. So, if their name sounds too much like a command that you use regularly, such as “sit” or “stay,” they may confuse the two words. Fortunately, there aren’t too many common commands starting with D, so you aren’t likely to fall into this trap.
3. Remember, you will often need to use your dog’s name in public, sometimes shouting it loudly, and sometimes using it in front of children and strangers. This is why it is rarely a good idea to choose something rude or potentially offensive.
4. Remember, you don’t have to give your dog a name the moment you bring them home. There is nothing wrong with taking a week or so to get to know your dog’s personality a little better first and then choosing something that better fits them later.

If you are getting a puppy, don’t forget to check out our new puppy checklist.

FAQs

Is it OK to change a dog’s name?

Just like you become attached to your name, the same is true of your dog. If you have been calling them a certain name for five years, suddenly changing it for no particular reason can just cause confusion.

However, if you bring home a dog that already has a name, you can certainly change it. As long as you consistently use it and reward them when they respond appropriately to their name, they will quickly learn that the new name belongs to them.

How long does it take a dog to learn its name?

How long it will take your dog to learn their name depends on their capacity to learn commands and how much effort you put into teaching them.

Dogs can learn their names quickly with positive reinforcement training. Some dogs might already start recognizing their name within two days.

Can I give my dog a human name?

Of course, you can give your dog a human name, and many people do. However, some trainers believe that giving your dog a human name encourages you to anthropomorphize them and attribute human qualities to them.

This may undermine your ability to maintain control and discipline. However, unless you are training a dog for a specific purpose, such as working as a guide dog, this is probably not a huge concern.

What should you not name your dog?

It is best to avoid dog names that sound too much like other words you will want your dog to recognize and respond to, such as “sit,” “stay,” “heel,” and “no,” as your dog will want to learn all of these words separately.

Choose names that start with a hard consonant that will be easy for your dog to pick out from the background noise. Go for something short–ideally just one or two syllables.

Do dogs respond better to certain names?

Yes, dogs do respond better to some names than others. To be clear, they do not actually understand the name itself but instead are responding to a familiar and recognizable sound.

For this reason, names with two syllables are often best as they are long enough not to be confused with other words but are still short enough to grab their attention.

Should you use your dog’s name a lot?

While your dog’s name is different from a command, they will still respond to it in the same way, treating it as a command for attention. For this reason, you should avoid using it out of context. 

For example, you should not combine the name with other commands, especially negative commands. This way, the name will not develop negative connotations.

Want to learn more about dog training? Check out these common hand signals for dogs.

The Verdict

Choosing the right name for a dog can feel like a daunting task. You want something that suits them, but you are just getting to know your pup when you choose.

You also want something that is going to be appropriate and make sense for as long as your dog is with you, which can be for 15 to 20 years.

Remember, when naming your dog, it may help to keep these tips in mind:

• Choose something short and simple (1 to 2 syllables)
• Avoid anything too similar to common commands (like “sit,” “stay,” “no,” etc.)
• Avoid anything potentially rude or offensive

Hopefully, you have found some inspiration to point you in the right direction on these lists of dog names starting with D. I also hope the aforementioned top tips help you feel confident that you have made the right choice.

Do you have any top tips for naming a dog?

Share them with the community in the comments section below.

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