Out of all the small dogs out there, Shih Tzus are one of the most popular. Out of all the dog breeds recognized by the AKC, they rank number 20 in popularity.
Their name means “lion dog”, which shouldn’t surprise you when you get a good look at their appearance. However, these dogs are far from a lion. They’re known for being cute and affectionate and often aren’t aggressive by any means.
The Shih Tzu’s idea of a good time is lounging in your lap and watching TV. They do require some exercise, but their low energy makes them perfect for apartment living.
If you’ve recently adopted a Shih Tzu puppy, you’re probably looking for a suitable name to give them. We’ve collected a vast selection of names into this article so you can choose the perfect one for your new canine.
Shih Tzu Female Dog Names
Shih Tzus are small and dainty, so pet owners often choose similar names for them. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t give your female Shih Tzu a tougher name if it suits them. Here are some of our favorite puppy names for these lovable dogs.
- Abby
- Ada
- Addie
- Adelaide
- Agnes
- Alexia
- Alexis
- Alice
- Allie
- Alyssa
- Amari
- Amber
- Amelia
- Amelie
- Amina
- Angel
- Angelica
- Angie
- Aspen
- Athena
- Aubrey
- Bessie
- Betsy
- Betty
- Birdie
- Biscuit
- Blair
- Blakely
- Blanche
- Blondie
- Blossom
- Bonnie
- Brandy
- Brielle
- Brooklyn
- Brownie
- Brynn
- Buffy
- Cadence
- Callie
- Cameron
- Camilia
- Camille
- Candy
- Carla
- Carly
- Carmela
- Carmen
- Carolina
- Carolyn
- Casey
- Cassie
- Cecelia
- Chance
- Chanel
- Charlie
- Charlotte
- Clarissa
- Clementine
- Cleo
- Clover
- Coco
- Cookie
- Daisy
- Dakota
- Dallas
- Demi
- Destiny
- Diamond
- Diva
- Dixie
- Dolly
- Dolores
- Dora
- Dorothy
- Dory
- Dot
- Dottie
- Duchess
- Eden
- Edie
- Edith
- Elsa
- Elsie
- Ember
- Erin
- Esmerelda
- Estelle
- Esther
- Etta
- Fannie
- Fantasia
- Faye
- Felecity
- Fern
- Frida
- Gabby
- Gemma
- Genesis
- Geneva
- Georgia
- Geraldine
- Gia
- Gidget
- Gigi
- Ginger
- Giselle
- Gloria
- Goldie
- Grace
- Greta
- Gretchen
- Gwen
- Gypsy
- Hadley
- Haley
- Halle
- Hallie
- Hannah
- Heidi
- Henley
- Hershey
- Holly
- Honey
- Hope
- Ibby
- Ida
- Imani
- Indigo
- Inez
- Ingrid
- Irene
- Iris
- Isabella
- Isla
- Ivory
- Ivy
- Izzy
- Jackie
- Jada
- Jade
- Jamie
- Jane
- Janelle
- Jasmine
- Jenna
- Jersey
- Jessie
- Jewel
- Joan
- Jolene
- Jordan
- Josie
- Karina
- Karla
- Karma
- Kate
- Kay
- Kayla
- Kelly
- Kelsey
- Kiara
- Kiki
- Kimmie
- Kinley
- Kinsley
- Lassie
- Layla
- Leia
- Lena
- Leona
- Leslie
- Lexy
- Liana
- Libby
- Liberty
- Lila
- Lily
- London
- Lorelai
- Loretta
- Lorraine
- Louise
- Lovely
- Lucia
- Madison
- Mae
- Maeve
- Malia
- Mallory
- Mandy
- Mango
- Maple
- Mara
- Margaret
- Margot
- Marianna
- Marilyn
- Mia
- Mika
- Mila
- Miley
- Miriam
- Missy
- Mitzi
- Mocha
- Molly
- Morgan
- Moxie
- Muffin
- Mya
- Myra
- Nadia
- Nala
- Nanette
- Naomi
- Nia
- Nikita
- Nikki
- Nina
- Noel
- Nola
- Opal
- Oreo
- Paige
- Paisley
- Pandora
- Paris
- Parker
- Patsy
- Pebbles
- Phoebe
- Piper
- Pippa
- Pippy
- Pixie
- Polly
- Poppy
- Portia
- Raven
- Reese
- Regina
- Remy
- Riley
- Rio
- Rita
- River
- Roxy
- Ruby
- Ruth
- Ruthie
- Rylie
- Sadie
- Sasha
- Sassy
- Savannah
- Sawyer
- Scarlet
- Scout
- Selena
- Selma
- Serena
- Serenity
- Shadow
- Sheba
- Silvia
- Sissy
- Snookie
- Snowball
- Sookie
- Sue
- Sugar
- Suki
- Sydney
- Sylvia
- Tabitha
- Talia
- Taylor
- Tessa
- Thea
- Valentine
- Valeria
- Velma
- Venus
- Vera
- Victoria
- Viola
- Violet
- Virginia
- Vivi
- Vivienne
- Vixen
- Whitney
- Yvonne
- Zara
- Zelda
- Zia
- Zoe
- Zola
Shih Tzu Male Dog Names
While Shih Tzus are not going to be chasing away strangers any time soon, that doesn’t mean you can’t give your male dog a masculine, badass name. With that said though, it is often the gentler names that are mroe fitting for these dogs’ nature.
- Achilles
- Alexander
- Alfie
- Alford
- Ali
- Alistar
- Angus
- Apollo
- Augustus
- Austin
- Axel
- Bailey
- Bandit
- Barkley
- Barney
- Baron
- Barry
- Barton
- Bruce
- Bruno
- Brutus
- Bryce
- Bubba
- Buck
- Bucky
- Buddy
- Buster
- Butch
- Buzz
- Captain
- Chewy
- Chico
- Chief
- Colby
- Coleman
- Colin
- Conrad
- Cooper
- Corky
- Cornelius
- Cosmo
- Crawford
- Damien
- Dane
- Daniel
- Dante
- Darby
- Darius
- Davis
- Davy
- Denver
- Dexter
- Diego
- Diesel
- Donovan
- Drew
- Dudley
- Duffy
- Duke
- Dusty
- Dylan
- Earl
- Easton
- Edward
- Edwin
- Eldon
- Eli
- Eliot
- Elmer
- Elvis
- Elway
- Emerson
- Emmett
- Emory
- Ernest
- Eugene
- Evan
- Evander
- Everett
- Ezra
- Fabio
- Fang
- Farley
- Felix
- Felton
- Fenton
- Fido
- Finley
- Finn
- Fisher
- George
- Gerald
- Ghost
- Gilbert
- Gizmo
- Goose
- Gordy
- Grady
- Graham
- Griffin
- Harold
- Harrison
- Harry
- Hart
- Harvey
- Hawkeye
- Hayes
- Heath
- Hector
- Henry
- Herbert
- Herman
- Hilton
- Hogan
- Hudson
- Hugh
- Hunter
- Hyatt
- Iggy
- Igor
- Ike
- Indy
- Ira
- Irving
- Ivan
- Ives
- Jack
- Jackson
- Jacob
- Jag
- Jake
- James
- Jameson
- Jasper
- Java
- Jax
- Jefferson
- Jerry
- Jesse
- Jet
- Jethro
- Joey
- John
- Johnny
- Jonas
- Joseph
- Judge
- Junior
- Kane
- Kendrick
- Kent
- Kilo
- King
- Kobe
- Koda
- Kona
- Lambert
- Lance
- Lane
- Langston
- Lars
- Lawrence
- Lemuel
- Lenny
- Leo
- Leonard
- Leroy
- Levi
- Lewis
- Liam
- Lincoln
- Linus
- Logan
- Loki
- Louie
- Lucky
- Marty
- Mason
- Maverick
- Max
- Maximillian
- Maximus
- Maxwell
- Mccoy
- McKinley
- Mercer
- Meyer
- Michael
- Mickey
- Milburn
- Miles
- Miller
- Moose
- Morris
- Mort
- Morton
- Murphy
- Nelson
- Nero
- Newton
- Nico
- Niles
- Orson
- Oscar
- Otis
- Otto
- Overton
- Owen
- Ozzy
- Pablo
- Paco
- Parker
- Parley
- Patch
- Peanut
- Pepper
- Percival
- Percy
- Petey
- Phillip
- Pierce
- Piper
- Pogo
- Pongo
- Porter
- Prince
- Quincy
- Quinton
- Radar
- Ralph
- Rambo
- Randall
- Ranger
- Rascal
- Raymond
- Rebel
- Reed
- Reese
- Reggie
- Remy
- Reuben
- Rex
- Richard
- Ricky
- Rider
- Riley
- Ringo
- Ripley
- Robert
- Rocco
- Rockwell
- Rocky
- Romeo
- Roscoe
- Roy
- Russell
- Rusty
- Sam
- Sammy
- Samson
- Sarge
- Saul
- Sawyer
- Sebastian
- Sedrick
- Shadow
- Shamus
- Sheldon
- Shelton
- Sherman
- Sherwood
- Shiloh
- Sigmund
- Silas
- Simba
- Simon
- Skip
- Smokey
- Snoopy
- Socks
- Sparky
- Spencer
- Spike
- Spot
- Stanley
- Stewie
- Stitch
- Teddy
- Tesla
- Thaddeus
- Theo
- Theodore
- Thor
- Thornton
- Tiller
- Titus
- TJ
- Tobias
- Toby
- Tripp
- Tristan
- Truman
- Tucker
- Tyler
- Tyson
- Ulysses
- Vaughn
- Vernon
- Victor
- Vince
- Vincent
- Vinnie
- Virgil
- Wade
- Wallace
- Wally
- Walter
- Warren
- William
- Wilson
- Winston
- Woody
- Wyatt
- Wylie
- Yogi
- Yoshi
- Yukon
- Zane
- Zeus
- Ziggy
Cute Shih Tzu Names
Let’s face it: these dogs are just downright adorable. Cute names often fit them best. Here is a list of our favorites:
- Abbott
- Abe
- Ace
- Agate
- Agnes
- Alexia
- Alexis
- Alice
- Amazon
- Amethyst
- Annabell
- Annie
- Anya
- Ariel
- Artie
- Ash
- Ashby
- Ashley
- Asia
- Atlas
- Autumn
- Ava
- Avery
- Baby
- Bailey
- Bambi
- Basil
- Bea
- Bean
- Bella
- Bertha
- Bianca
- Billie
- Bindi
- Bing
- Biscuit
- Bitsy
- Blair
- Blakely
- Blanche
- Blondie
- Blossom
- Bonsai
- Carly
- Carmela
- Carmen
- Carolina
- Charlie
- Charlotte
- Chloe
- Clarissa
- Clementine
- Cora
- Coraline
- Courtney
- Cricket
- Crystal
- Cuddle
- Dixon
- Doc
- Dodge
- Domingo
- Domino
- Donnie
- Doodle
- Fifi
- Fiona
- Flo
- Foxy
- Frances
- Frankie
- Freeman
- Fritz
- Gage
- Gracie
- Journey
- Joy
- Kamila
- Kendall
- Kennedy
- Kenya
- Louise
- Lovely
- Lucia
- Lucille
- Lucinda
- Lucky
- Lucy
- Lula
- Lulu
- Luna
- Madison
- Mae
- Maeve
- Maggie
- Maisie
- Makayla
- Marley
- Midget
- Munchkin
- Murray
- Nacho
- Napoleon
- Nash
- Ned
- Nipper
- Ollie
- Pearl
- Peggy
- Penelope
- Penny
- Pepper
- Perdia
- Petunia
- Phoenix
- Siti
- Skye
- Skylar
- Skylar
- Smokey
- Smokey
- Snickers
- Snickers
- Storm
- Stuart
- Summer
- Sylvan
- Taco
- Tank
- Taylor
- Taz
- Trixie
- Trudy
- Twinkie
- Ursula
- Xena
- Yasmin
- Yvonne
- Zara
- Zelda
- Zia
- Zoey
Learn More: Best Dog Names (by category)
Shih Tzu Chiuahua Mix Names
This mix is actually quite common, considering how similar in size the two breeds are.
- Adeline
- Adelyn
- Adriana
- Agatha
- Alvin
- Amos
- Andre
- Andy
- Angelica
- Angie
- Aspen
- Candy
- Carla
- Carolyn
- Casey
- Eddie
- Edgar
- Edison
- Edmund
- Estelle
- Esther
- Etta
- Fannie
- Fantasia
- Faye
- Felecity
- Fern
- Frida
- Gretchen
- Gwen
- Gypsy
- Hadley
- Haley
- Halle
- Hallie
- Ivory
- Ivy
- Izzy
- Jackie
- Jada
- Layla
- Leia
- Lena
- Leona
- Liv
- Lizzy
- Lois
- Lola
- Mara
- Margaret
- Margot
- Marianna
- Milo
- Milton
- Miriam
- Missy
- Mitzi
- Mocha
- Moe
- Mojo
- Monroe
- Nell
- Nellie
- Nettie
- Summer
- Sunny
- Susannah
- Susie
- Sweetie
- Theo
- Tiana
- Tilly
- Tootsie
- Winter
- Wren
- Xena
- Yasmin
Learn More: Top 500+ African Dog Names
Chinese Dog Names for Shih Tzu
These dogs originally came from China, so it only makes sense to give them a Chinese name.
- Ai: loving
- Aiguo: patriotic
- Bingwen: master of arts
- Biyu: precious stone
- Bo: waves
- Bolin: gentle rain
- Boqin: respect
- Changpu: flourishing vine
- Chen: the morning
- Chunhua: spring flowers
- Da: intelligent
- Dong: winter
- Donghai: eastern sea
- Duyi: all-one
- Enlai: favor
- Gang: strong
- Guozhi: may the state govern
- Hai: the sea
- He: harmonious
- He: harmonious
- Hong: red
- Jiao: delicate
- Ju: chrysanthemum
- Lan: orchid
- Lei: thunder
- Li: plums
- Lijuan: beautiful and soft
- Liqin: beautiful harp
- Liu: the willow
- Liu: willow
- Longwei: dragon greatness
- Mei: a red gem
- Meilin: plum grove
- Niu: girl
- Niu: the ox
- Peng: a type of extravagant bird
- Ping: tranquil
- Qi: arising
- Qiang: red rose
- Qiang: strong
- Qing: the color of the sky
- Qiu: autumn
- Quan: spring
- Ru: scholar
- Shan: hills
- Shanyuan: mountain spring
- Shoushan: longevity mountain
- Shu: pure
- Song: pine tree
- Tao: the way
- Weizhe: great sage
- Xiang: flying
- Xiaobo: little wrestler
- Xiaodan: little dawn
- Xiaodan: little dawn
- Xiaojian: little and healthy
- Xiaoli: intellectual
- Xiaotong: red sky child
- Xin: new
- Xing: a star
- Xiu: fine
- Xue: snow
- Xue: studious
- Xueqin: snow-white celery
- Yang: the sun
- Yanlin: swallow forest
- Ye: leaf
- Yi: a pattern
- Ying: clever
- Yongnian: eternal years
- You: excellent
- Yu: rain
- Yuan: original
- Yue: moon
- Yun: clouds
- Zhong: honest
What Name Did You Choose?
With so many great names on this list, feel free to take your time to sort through them all! There is bound to be the perfect option for your dog.
If you’re having particular difficulty deciding on a name, we recommend trying out your favorites on your dog. Sometimes we completely fall in love with a name, but it just doesn’t fit our canine.
You should also involve the others in your family in the decision-making process as well. The last thing you want is to choose a name that no one else likes. You should also ensure that everyone can pronounce the new name, especially children. If you have toddlers, you should probably pick a less-complex name so they can pronounce and learn it easier.
Besides that, the most important part of choosing a name is selecting one that you like.
