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 the meaning of each name, and the heart to save a name to your shortlist.

• Acadia

  Meaning: Idyllic Place
• Admiral

  Meaning: the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
• Alaska

  Meaning: Mainland
• Ames

  Meaning: God of war in greek mythology.
• Ammo

  Meaning: Short for ammunition.
• Aragorn

  Meaning: character from Tolkien's Lord of The Rings trilogy
• Augustus

  Meaning: Great
• Bale

  Meaning: a city in northwestern Switzerland
• Bandit

  Meaning: A thief.
• Bear

  Meaning: Bear-like
• Blade

  Meaning: Sharp edge of a knife, saw or other weapon.
• Blitz

  Meaning: An overwhelming all out attack.
• Bomber

  Meaning: 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

  Meaning: Fictional villain from Nintendo's Mario franchise.
• Bravo

  Meaning: Brave, courageous
• Bro

  Meaning:
• Brock

  Meaning: Badger
• Bruiser

  Meaning: Brawny and tough.
• Bruno

  Meaning: Brown-haired
• Brutus

  Meaning: Bad.
• Bubba

  Meaning: Nickname for a boy in the south of the US; a slow moving individual.
• Buffalo

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

  Meaning: A ruffian; someone who threatens those that are weaker.
• Cane

  Meaning: Stalk Of Sugar
• Captain

  Meaning: The leader of a group of people
• Cleopatra

  Meaning: Glory + father
• Cobra

  Meaning: Venomous Asiatic and African elapid snakes that can expand the skin of the neck into a hood
• Crete

  Meaning: Cradle of the empire in Roman mythology.
• Crusher

  Meaning: a device that crushes something
• Damaris

  Meaning: Dominant woman.
• Digger

  Meaning: a machine for excavating
• Ditka

  Meaning:
• Duchess

  Meaning: the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
• Duke

  Meaning: Leader, commander, governor of a province
• Dutch

  Meaning: From The Netherlands
• Fang

  Meaning: Beautiful
• Fender

  Meaning: an inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track
• Frisco

  Meaning: Free
• Friska

  Meaning:
• General

  Meaning: a general officer of the highest rank
• Gnasher

  Meaning:
• Goliath

  Meaning: A giant from the bible.
• Gruber

  Meaning:
• Gunner

  Meaning: Strong in battle (in Swedish).
• Han

  Meaning: 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

  Meaning: Short for Stephen Hawking.
• Howler

  Meaning: a joke that seems extremely funny
• Hudson

  Meaning: The son of Hugh
• Idris

  Meaning: Righteous lord, studious
• Jax

  Meaning: Son Of Jack
• Kahlan

  Meaning: Combination Of Kay And Lyn
• Kevlar

  Meaning: Strength, like a kevlar vest.
• Killa

  Meaning:
• Kush

  Meaning:
• Kyla

  Meaning: Narrow
• Kylo

  Meaning: Gift of God
• Leech

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

  Meaning: Nickname For Left-handed
• Lex

  Meaning: Defender of men in greek.
• Lonestar

  Meaning:
• Mace

  Meaning: The collective dead in the afterlife
• Mafia

  Meaning: any tightly knit group of trusted associates
• Magnum

  Meaning: As in magnum, private investigator
• Major

  Meaning: Better; a military rank
• Malcom

  Meaning: Follower Of St. Columba
• Mildred

  Meaning: Gentle strength
• Missy

  Meaning: Bee
• Nipper

  Meaning: a young person of either sex
• Nitro

  Meaning: Short for nitroglycerin.
• North

  Meaning: Geographical Direction
• Onyx

  Meaning: Black Gemstone
• Outkast

  Meaning:
• Pepper

  Meaning: The pepper pad a handheld game console.
• Pyro

  Meaning: As in pyromaniac.
• Queen

  Meaning: Female ruler
• Rambo

  Meaning: A sylvester stallone character.
• Ranger

  Meaning: Gamekeeper; a rover or wanderer
• Raven

  Meaning: Dark-colored.
• Reaper

  Meaning: Death personified as an old man or a skeleton with a scythe
• Remington

  Meaning: From The Ridge Town
• Ronaldo

  Meaning: Advice Ruler
• Roo

  Meaning: Short for kangaroo
• Roxie

  Meaning: Dawn.
• Saber

  Meaning: Lightsaber, a weapon in star wars.
• Samson

  Meaning: Man with super strength.
• Sarge

  Meaning: As in sargent.
• Scar

  Meaning: an indication of damage
• Sergeant

  Meaning: a lawman with the rank of sergeant
• Shasta

  Meaning: Praised, Commended
• Snatch

  Meaning: a small fragment
• Snipe

  Meaning: aim and shoot with great precision
• Sniper

  Meaning: a marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place
• Solider

  Meaning:
• Spike

  Meaning: Stingy or pointed.
• Storm

  Meaning: To deliver a violent attack or assault. barrage.
• Striker

  Meaning: someone who hits
• Talon

  Meaning: Bird Claw
• Tank

  Meaning: Big.
• Thor

  Meaning: God of lightning and thunder in norse mythology.
• Tigre

  Meaning: Tiger; giant cat.
• Titan

  Meaning: Greek giants.
• Tito

  Meaning: Saved
• Trigger

  Meaning: put in motion or move to act
• Tyrone

  Meaning: From The Land Of The Yew Tree
• Uzi

  Meaning: Power, Strength
• Vera

  Meaning: Faith, truth
• Vlad

  Meaning: Prince of Wallachia.
• Wolf

  Meaning: Wolf
• Wrigley

  Meaning: Clearing By The River Bend
• Xander

  Meaning: Defender of the people
• Yukon

  Meaning: a territory in northwestern Canada; site of the Klondike gold rush in the 1890s
• Yuna

  Meaning: Kindness

Staying on the tough theme, these names mean warrior or are in some way related to the word.

Staying on the tough theme, these names mean fighter or are in some way related to the word.

Staying on the tough theme, these names mean brave or are in some way related to the word.

Is your dog going to grow up to the bully of the dog park? If you want a menacing name that strikes fear into smaller puppies, try these mean dog names on for size.

Brave dogs offer the best companionship, because they have the confidence to support and protect you. These courageous dog names are a tribute to strong-willed dogs.