Tough Dog Names

If you're adopting a hard nut, try these tough dog names on for size. They're perfect for larger breeds or just dogs with a dominant personality.

Tap the arrow to see a name's meaning, and the heart to save it to your shortlist.

Admiral
the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
Alaska
Mainland
Ames
God of war in greek mythology.
Ammo
Short for ammunition.
Aragorn
character from Tolkien's Lord of The Rings trilogy
Augustus
Great
Bale
a city in northwestern Switzerland
Bandit
A thief.
Bear
Bear-like
Blade
Sharp edge of a knife, saw or other weapon.
Blitz
An overwhelming all out attack.
Bomber
a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
Bowser
Fictional villain from Nintendo's Mario franchise.
Bravo
Brave, courageous
Bro
Brotherly love/friendship.
Brock
Badger
Bruiser
Brawny and tough.
Bruno
Brown-haired
Brutus
Bad.
Bubba
Nickname for a boy in the south of the US; a slow moving individual.
Buffalo
any of several Old World animals resembling oxen including, e.g., water buffalo; Cape buffalo
Bully
A ruffian; someone who threatens those that are weaker.
Cane
Stalk Of Sugar
Captain
The leader of a group of people
Cobra
Venomous Asiatic and African elapid snakes that can expand the skin of the neck into a hood
Crete
Cradle of the empire in Roman mythology.
Crusher
a device that crushes something
Digger
a machine for excavating
Duke
Leader, commander, governor of a province
Dutch
From The Netherlands
Fang
Beautiful
Fender
an inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track
Frisco
Free
General
a general officer of the highest rank
Gnasher
Fierce teeth gnashing.
Goliath
A giant from the bible.
Gruber
German noble family name.
Gunner
Strong in battle (in Swedish).
Han
imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
Hawk
Short for Stephen Hawking.
Howler
a joke that seems extremely funny
Hudson
The son of Hugh
Idris
Righteous lord, studious
Jax
Son Of Jack
Kahlan
Combination Of Kay And Lyn
Kevlar
Strength, like a kevlar vest.
Killa
Powerful and dangerous.
Kush
"African royal dynasty."
Kylo
Gift of God
Leech
a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
Lefty
Nickname For Left-handed
Lex
Defender of men in greek.
Lonestar
Lonely Texas pride.
Mace
The collective dead in the afterlife
Mafia
any tightly knit group of trusted associates
Magnum
As in magnum, private investigator
Major
Better; a military rank
Malcom
Follower Of St. Columba
Nipper
a young person of either sex
Nitro
Short for nitroglycerin.
North
Geographical Direction
Onyx
Black Gemstone
Outkast
"Different from the rest."
Pepper
A hot-tasting powder prepared from dried and ground peppercorns, commonly used as a spice or condiment to flavor food.
Pyro
As in pyromaniac.
Queen
Female ruler
Rambo
A sylvester stallone character.
Ranger
Gamekeeper; a rover or wanderer
Raven
Dark-colored.
Reaper
Death personified as an old man or a skeleton with a scythe
Remington
From The Ridge Town
Ronaldo
Advice Ruler
Roo
Short for kangaroo
Roxie
Dawn.
Saber
Lightsaber, a weapon in star wars.
Samson
Man with super strength.
Sarge
As in sargent.
Scar
an indication of damage
Sergeant
a lawman with the rank of sergeant
Snatch
a small fragment
Snipe
aim and shoot with great precision
Sniper
a marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place
Solider
Brave, loyal, protector.
Spike
Stingy or pointed.
Storm
To deliver a violent attack or assault. barrage.
Striker
someone who hits
Talon
Bird Claw
Tank
Big.
Thor
God of lightning and thunder in norse mythology.
Tigre
Tiger; giant cat.
Titan
Greek giants.
Tito
Saved
Trigger
put in motion or move to act
Tyrone
From The Land Of The Yew Tree
Uzi
Power, Strength
Vlad
Prince of Wallachia.
Wolf
Wolf
Wrigley
Clearing By The River Bend
Xander
Defender of the people
Yukon
a territory in northwestern Canada; site of the Klondike gold rush in the 1890s

• Garin

  warrior
• Luther

  Warrior
• Ivar

  Warrior
• Gunnar

  Warrior
• Gunther

  Warrior
• Brunhilda

  Warrior woman
• Luis

  Famous Warrior
• Hildegarde

  Asgardian warrior
• Luisa

  Famous Warrior
• Barnes

  young warrior
• Eelin

  Warrior of intelligence.
• Slàine

  "Warrior of the goddess."

• Damian

  the fighter
• Guy

  fighter, guide
• Heloise

  Famous Fighter
• Umberto

  bright fighter
• Alajos

  well known fighter
• Lovise

  well known fighter
• Harbin

  little shining fighter
• Spinks

  "Brave little fighter"
• Ludek

  well known fighter
• Xabat

  "Joyful warrior" (or "Joyful fighter")
• Butters

  a fighter who strikes the opponent with his head
• Butter

  a fighter who strikes the opponent with his head

• Modigy

  brave
• Veera

  brave
• Akeen

  Brave
• Qawe

  brave
• Merida

  Unknown Meaning
• Willard

  Will Brave
• Howard

  Heart Brave
• Leonard

  Brave As A Lion
• Jarrett

  Spear Brave
• Bernard

  Brave as a bear
• Richard

  Brave Ruler
• Bernadette

  Brave As A Bear

• Butcher

  someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence
• Outkast

  "Different from the rest."
• Paul Bunyon

  Giant lumberjack legend.
• Mace

  The collective dead in the afterlife
• Leech

  a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
• Shaq

  Basketball superstar Shaq
• Buffalo

  any of several Old World animals resembling oxen including, e.g., water buffalo; Cape buffalo
• Skellington

  Skeleton King/Lord/Prince
• Nails

  hit hard
• Pocus

  Magic trickery or mischief.
• Michonne

  Iconic character from Walking Dead.
• Bro

  Brotherly love/friendship.

• Sparkle

  To be brilliant, lively and vivacious or to effervesce.
• Outkast

  "Different from the rest."
• Perandor

  Greek word meaning imperator.
• Laird

  Feudal Scottish title of rank.
• Harvard

  a guard in the army
• Stoked

  Surfer slang, excited or euphoric.
• Brahman

  Member of the highest Hindu caste.
• Paladin

  One of the 12 knights of Charlemagne's court and a knightly champion.
• Semper Fi

  A motto from US Marine Corp which means 'Always Faithful.
• Worthy

  Showing qualities that merit recognition.
• Sprint

  Short fast race. To dash.
• Cyclone

  Violent tropical storm, circular in nature.

Tough Dog Names currently rank in 29th place out of all PupNames.com categories.

As of November 2024, tough dog names seem increasingly popular with new puppy owners. Our stats show that they are more fashionable than they were at this time last year.

We've seen quite a lot of variation for this category, which suggests its popularity could be seasonal or based on cultural events.

Which are the cutest and most unique Tough Dog Names?

These tough dog names range from cute to badass, and from traditional to unique. Click each circle to see the name.

Wrigley is among the cutest of these. If you prefer tougher, edgier dog names, the one considered the most badass is Duke.

Damaris scored high for its uniqueness, which would help your dog to stand out. But if you prefer more common, old-fashioned names, the more traditional option here is Duke.

How does interest compare across the United States for Tough Dog Names?

The map below compares each state by the number of people browsing Tough Dog Names.

The states that love tough dog names the most are Idaho, Michigan and North Carolina.

The least amount of interest in this category was registered in Hawaii, Connecticut and Nebraska.

Which countries have the most love for Tough Dog Names?

Here's a world map showing the popularity in each country of tough dog names.

Who'd have thought?! Some of the countries you might not have thought about that LOVE tough dog names are Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

On the flip, PupNames data shows there's not much interest in Serbia, Malta and Taiwan.