Let's be real for a second: our dogs are pretty badass. I mean, come on - they're descended from wolves and evolved to be our friends! Dogs can detect bombs and cancer using their powerful noses. They sniff out trapped survivors in war zones and natural disaster areas. They use their service training to help people through medical emergencies. And some pups are even willing to lay down their lives to protect their humans. If that's not a badass animal, then I don't know what is.
If you want to celebrate your dog's unique brand of certified bad-assery, you're gonna want to choose a name that fits their vibe. Luckily, we've got a few badass dog names that we think fit the bill just perfectly.
Humans have known for centuries that our dogs are as cool as can be, and some of the most popular dog names of all time are genuinely pretty badass in their own right. Some might consider a few of these names a bit stereotypical, but we think that they have staying power for a reason. Either way, we'll let you be the judge. Besides, we're only just getting started!
Angel
Bailey
Bandit
Baxter
Bruiser
Buddy
Buster
Chief
Dex
Duke
Griffin
Hunter
King
Lucky
Major
Max
Phoenix
Queenie
Red
Rex
Rocky
Rufus
Samson
Scout
Sparky
Spike
T-Bone
Tank
Tex
Ziggy
A long-haired dog sticking her head out of a window
Need a rad name for your masculine mutt? These badass boy dog names will let everybody know that your pooch is the "bad boy" of the dog park (even if you know that he's actually a good boy on the inside).
Alexander
Apollo
Archer
Axel
Blaze
Boris
Cosmo
Dashell
Dax
Dean
Dimitri
Finn
Fox
Hawk
Hector
Jet
Kai
Kellan
Kenji
Leon
Maddox
Malcolm
Maverick
Odin
Omar
Ragnar
Ulrich
Wilder
Wolfgang
Zeus
A fluffy black dog in shades wearing a chain necklace
Black dogs have historically been subject to superstition, which even today still manifests in the form of " Black Dog Syndrome ," where black dogs have a harder time getting adopted than other dogs - and quite frankly, that's un-badass. Black dogs are the coolest, and these cool black dog names embrace their dark sides in all of their edgy beauty.
From the deep brown coat of a Chocolate Labrador Retriever to the light rusty fur of a Shiba Inu, there's such a diverse range of beauty among brown dogs. These kick-ass brown dog names celebrate that beauty while mixing in a fun little bit of "edge!"
Aruna
Aspen
Autumn
Bear
Bruin
Bruno
Chai
Copper
Espresso
Gaia
Grover
Hawthorne
Hazel
Henna
Hickory
Medved (Russian for "bear")
Mojave
Oakley
Pan
Robin
Sahara
Sienna
Sorrell
Sylvester
Sylvia
Tawny
Terra
Thorn
Willow
Woody
A white dog wearing yellow shades and a blue Hawaiian shirt
White may be considered the color of purity and innocence, but it's also the color of a lightning bolt, a powerful blizzard, or the cresting foam of a tidal wave. These names for white dogs marry beauty and intensity for a killer mix that makes for a bold first impression!
Badass Dog Names Inspired Inspired by Famous Villains
We know that villains are, by definition, the "bad guys" of their stories, but let's face it: a lot of them are - you guessed it - pretty badass, and we love to hate them (or maybe we just love 'em outright). Either way, we don't see the harm in letting your favorite fictional villain inspire your dog's name! Here are a few favorites of our own:
Akasha ( Queen of the Damned )
Azula ( Avatar: The Last Airbender )
Bane ( Batman )
Beetlejuice ( Beetlejuice/Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - wait, did we just say his name three times?)
Biff ( Back to the Future )
Cersei ( Game of Thrones )
Cruella ( 101 Dalmatians - oh, the irony)
Cthulhu (HP Lovecraft's Cthluhu Mythos)
Cujo ( Cujo - oh, the irony, part II)
Damien ( The Omen )
Dracula ( Dracula )
Godzilla ( Godzilla )
Hades ( Hercules )
Hannibal ( Silence of the Lambs )
Jafar ( Aladdin )
Jaws ( Jaws )
Khan ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )
Kylo ( Star Wars )
Lex (for Superman 's Lex Luthor)
Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent )
Pennywise ( It )
Sauron ( Lord of the Rings )
Scar ( The Lion King )
Scarface ( Scarface )
Sweeney Todd ( Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street )
Thanos ( Marvel Cinematic Universe )
Ursula ( The Little Mermaid )
Vader ( Star Wars , of course!)
Venom ( Venom )
Zod ( Superman II / Man of Steel )
A Beagle wearing 3D glasses with a bowl of popcorn and a clapper board
Alright, alright, we can't let the villains have all the fun. There are plenty of badass heroes (and antiheroes) from film and TV worth celebrating, too, and we see a lot of inspiration for some killer canine names among them!
Aragorn ( Lord of the Rings )
Balto ( Balto - also a real-life canine superhero!)
Bart Harley Jarvis ( I Think You Should Leave - one for all the "bad boys" out there)
Braveheart ( Braveheart )
Brienne ( Game of Thrones)
Courage ( Courage the Cowardly Dog )
Furiosa ( Mad Max: Fury Road / Furiosa )
Gamora ( Marvel Cinematic Universe )
Gandalf ( Lord of the Rings )
Goku ( Dragon Ball Z )
Hercules ( Hercules )
Indiana Jones ( Indiana Jones )
Jolyne/Jotaro ( Jojo's Bizarre Adventure )
Katniss ( The Hunger Games )
Leia ( Star Wars )
Moro ( Princess Mononoke )
Mulan ( Mulan )
Natasha (for Black Widow of the MCU )
Nebula ( Marvel Cinematic Universe )
Neo ( The Matrix )
Rambo ( Rambo )
Ripley ( Alien )
Skywalker ( Star Wars )
Spuds ( Toy Story )
Storm ( X-Men )
T'Challa ( Marvel Cinematic Universe )
Trinity ( The Matrix )
Wanda (for Wanda Maximoff of the MCU , most notably Wandavision )
Wolverine (X-Men )
Xena ( Xena: Warrior Princess )
A Golden Retriever wearing a rad black leather jacket and sunglasses
From foundational blues and country music legends to rock gods to icons of rap, pop, and R&B, many groundbreaking musicians have left their indelible (and undeniably radical) marks on history. We all have favorite musicians we stan in some way: why not honor them by naming your dog after your personal musical GOAT?
Aretha
Beyonce
Blondie
Bowie
Cash (for Johnny, of course)
Chaka
Cher
Dio
Dolly
Elton
Elvis
Freddie (or Mercury, aka Farrokh Bulsara of Queen )
Jagger
Janis (in honor of Ms. Joplin)
Jerry Garcia
Jimi Hendrix
King Crimson
Lennon
Marley
Meatloaf
Ozzy
Ramone
Sade
Slash
Snoop
Steppenwolf
Stevie (for Ms. Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, or Stevie Ray Vaughn)
There's something about a professional athlete's ability to push their body to the limit that's profoundly awesome. If you've got a particularly energetic, athletic dog, we can think of a few athletic legends you can pull some naming inspiration from!
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