Adopting a new dog is a very exciting moment. One big step to the adoption process is to pick a name for your new pooch. While this might sound simple, choosing a name can be a lot easier said than done.
There are many different kinds of names out there, from sweet delicate names to names fit for guard dogs. If you’re looking for a badass name for your canine, then this is the list you need to be looking at.
If you’ve adopted a dog that is just begging for a badass name, one of the names on this list is sure to fit. We’ve gathered dozens and dozens of badass names to help you choose the perfect one for your pooch.
Badass Dog Names
Some badass dog names are quite popular – for a good reason. These are some of the most common and arguably most badass dog names out there. If you’re looking for something badass but still recognizable, check out these names:
- Ajax: a hero from Greek Mythology who was a great warrior
- Ares: the Greek God of war
- Bane: while Bane is the villain in some Batman plotlines, this name is Slavic in origin and means “glorious defender”
- Beast: for the extra-burly canine
- Blitz: a battle tactic defined as an “overwhelming attack”
- Bones: if your dog is both badass and somewhat adorable (or thinks he’s badass at least)
- Daenerys: from the Game of Thrones
- Dagger: a short, swordlike weapon
- Fang
- Goliath
- Gunner
- Harley: as in Harley Quinn or Harly-Davidson
- Huntress: a female hunter
- Katniss: the female protagonist from The Hunger Games
- Leia: from the Star Wars series
- Medusa: a winged monster from Greek mythology with venomous snakes as hair
- Raven
- Rebel
- Samson: a strong, badass name from the Bible
- Sarge: short for Sergeant
- Tank
- Titan: Greek giants who pretty much ate everybody
- Thor: the thunder god from Norse mythology. He wacks trolls with his hammer.
- Vader: the villain from Star Wars who can’t decide what side he is on.
- Vixen: an attractive, yet quarrelsome woman
Learn More: Top 200+ Big Dog Names
Badass Female Dog Names
These names are somewhat uncommon and can make a great, unique name for your badass dog. We’ve included the meaning and origin with each strong girl dog name to help you make the best decision:
- Aeglaeca: An Anglo-Saxon name meaning both “monster” and “hero”
- Aella: A Green name meaning “storm wind”. An ax-wielding Amazon warrior from Greek mythology has this name.
- Ailaith: Anglo-Saxon name meaning “noble war”
- Andrea: Female version of “Andrew”, which means “war”
- Andy: Unisex English name meaning “warrior”
- Baldhild: Old English naming meaning “brave battle”
- Blair: Scottish name meaning “battlefield”
- Camilla: Latin naming meaning “attendant”. Also the name of the warrior maiden and Queen of Volsci in Roman mythology.
- Daleka: Czech name meaning “distant battle”
- Dina: Scottish name meaning “sea warrior”
- Drea: Greek name meaning “warrior”
- Elda: German name meaning “battle”
- Erna: German name meaning “battle”
- Ernsta: German name meaning “battle” and “serious business”
- Gunda: Germanic name meaning “war”
- Hermine: German name meaning “army”
- Hilda: name meaning “battle” in many languages
- Laoise: French name meaning “famous warrior”
- Lou: a shortened version of Laoise
- Luella: English name meaning “famous warrior”
- Lulu: German and French name meaning “famous warrior”
- Maeve: In Irish mythology, the warrior queen of Connacht
- Matilda: Latin name meaning “mighty in battle”
- Maud: French name meaning “mighty in battle”
Learn More: Top 400+ Female Dog Names
Badass Male Dog Names
Luckily for you, there are literally thousands of badass names for male dogs out there. Of course, with so many names to choose from, it can be very difficult to settle on JUST one. Here are some of our favorites to help you make your decision:
- Argo: Celtic name meaning “slaughter”
- Alvar: Middle English name meaning “elf army”
- Anders: Scandinavian name meaning “warrior”
- Andrew: Greek name meaning “warrior”
- Armen: German name meaning “army man”
- Caden: Irish name meaning “little battle”
- Caedmon: Anglo-Saxon name meaning “place of battle”
- Cay: Frisian name meaning “warrior”
- Clancy: Irish surname meaning “red warrior”
- Deandre: French name meaning “warrior”
- Earl: Old English title meaning “prince” and “warrior”
- Ernest: German name meaning “to battle”
- Gabe: Shortened form of Gabriel, which means “warrior of God”
- Gideon: Anglicized name meaning “cutter down”
- Gunnar: Scandinavian name meaning “war elf”
- Igor: Russian name meaning “bow warrior”
- Ivar: Scandinavian name meaning “bow warrior”
- Kaden: English name meaning “little battle”
- Lew: English name meaning “famous warrior”
- Lothair: French name meaning “loud” and “warrior”
- Naoise: a warrior in Gaelic mythology
- Nero: Italian name meaning “wise warrior”
- Nuada: In mythology, the king of the Tuatha De Danann
- Ptolemy: Greek name meaning “aggressive”
- Ragnar: Scandinavian name meaning “wise warrior”; also the main character on the show Vikings
- Takeo: Japanese name meaning “violent male”
- Vidar: Old Norse name meaning “forest warrior”
Learn More: Top 500+ Male Dog Names
Badass German Shepherd Names
German Shepherds are known for their loyal, yet territorial nature. Badass guard dog names are very fitting for most of these canines due to their fierce nature. These are some of our favorite names for German Shepherds:
- Achilles: a warrior from Greek mythology
- Adalwolf: Old High German name meaning “noble wolf”
- Aladdin: from the Disney movie of the same name
- Amelia: As in Amelia Earhart
- Apollo: a god from Greek mythology
- Bert: as in Albert Einstein
- Cleo: as in Cleopatra of Egypt
- Dolph: English name meaning “noble wolf”
- Ella: short for Eleanor Roosevelt
- Fillin: Irish Gaelic name meaning “little wolf”
- Huck: from Huckleberry Finn
- Jackie (Kennedy)
- Julius (Caesar)
- Kaiser
- Kenyon: Irish name meaning “little wolf”
- Lupa: Latin name meaning “she-wolf”
- Lupe: Spanish name meaning “river of the wolf”
- Max
- Nancy: from the Nancy drew series
- Odin: a god from Scandinavian mythology
- Rambo: from the popular movie series of the same name
- River: from Dr. Who
- Rocky: from the popular movie
- Rollo: Old French name meaning “famous wolf”
- Roxy
- Shadow
- Teddy (Roosevelt)
- Ula: English name meaning “wolf power”
- Ursula: the villain from the Little Mermaid
- Velvela: Yiddish name meaning “wolf”
- Xena: from Xena the Warrior Princess
- Zeus: a god from Greek mythology
- Zorro: from the Legend of Zorro
Learn More: Top 300+ German Shepherd Dog Names
Badass Black Dog Names
For one reason or another, badass names just sound good on black dogs. If you’ve recently adopted a darker colored canine, you might want to consider selecting a badass name that takes their coloring into account, like one of these:
- Blake: Old English name meaning both “black” and “white”
- Braith: Welch unisex name meaning “diversely-colored” or “black”
- Ceara: Irish name meaning “little black one”
- Cham: Hebrew name meaning “heat” and “blackness”
- Chernobog: the name of the Slavic god of darkness
- Chogan: Native American name meaning “blackbird”
- Cola: Anglo-Saxon name meaning “black coal”
- Cole: English name meaning “coal”
- Cush: Hebrew name meaning “black”
- Daiyu: Chinese name meaning “black jade”
- Daven: Scottish name meaning “little black one”
- Delaney: Irish name meaning “black challenger”
- Doug: English name meaning “black stream”
- Doyle: Irish Gaelic name meaning “black stranger”
- Dudley: Irish Gaelic name meaning “black oak”
- Ham: Hebrew name meaning “heat”
- Kali: Wife of Shiva in Hindu mythology, meaning “devourer of time”
- Li: Chinese name meaning “black dawn”
- Malinda: Greek name meaning “black”
- Melania: Latin name meaning “black”
- Merla: English unisex name meaning “blackbird”
- Merle: English name meaning “blackbird”
- Sable: English name meaning “black”, specifically referring to fur
- Sevoug: Armenian name meaning “black”
Learn More: Top 200+ Black Dog Names
Badass Bulldog Names
Bulldogs literally fought bulls, making them arguably the most badass dog around. A dog with such a rich, badass heritage deserves a fitting name. This list includes everything from pop culture-inspired names to badass country dog names:
- Bes: a strong dwarf deity from Egyptian mythology who was said to bring joy; great for a bulldog who looks tough but acts like a sweetheart
- Brokk: strong giant from Old Norse literature
- Butch: Bulldog that first appeared in the Pluto cartoon, but has since made regular appearances with Mickey Mouse
- Colossus: the English Bulldog in the Romantic comedy “Van Wilder”
- Gerd: the wife of Freyr in Norse mythology
- Goliath: from the Hebrew word meaning “exile”
- Grendal: the main antagonist from the first part of Beowulf
- Hector: from the cartoon Tweety and Sylvester
- Max: the Bulldog from “Jake and the Fatman”, a detective series that ran in the 80s.
- McBarker: from the shortly ran but well-loved show “Mr. Magoo”
- Rocky: the team mascot in the movie “Leatherheads”
- Sequoia: derived for the Native American word for the giant redwood trees that grow in California
- Spike: the bulldog from the Tom and Jerry series
- Tike: Spike’s puppy from Tom and Jerry
Learn More: Top 250+ White Dog Names
What Name Did You Choose
Hopefully, one of the names on this list grabbed your attention and provided some inspiration!
When it comes to naming your pooch, it is pretty much a matter of personal preference. Name your dog whatever you like best! Of course, you can take into account your dog’s appearance or personality, but your new furry friend will likely grow into any name you choose.
Just remember that you and everyone else will need to pronounce the name you choose. This can narrow down your name choices by a bit if you have children!
Feel free to “try on” a name before selecting it. It might take a couple of tries to choose a name that really fits.
