Music-Themed Dog Names: Bands, Artists, Instruments, and Terms

Naming your dog can be quite a challenge. You’ll often find that family members disagree about the best name, and there is such a wide world of information and inspiration that the choice can be overwhelming. They want to demonstrate a dog’s character, soul, heart, and sense of humour without giving the humans something too embarrassing.

Luckily, music brings people together like few other parts of life and contains a wealth of soundbites for thought when it comes to dog names. Dogs can make a cacophony of sounds, from snorts to woos to snores to barks, and some even find music calming, so naming a dog after your favourite pop star, band, genre, instrument, or even musical term may be the way to go.

Here are some music-themed dog name ideas, whether they’re nothing but a Hound Dog or more of a Snoop Dogg.

Iconic Singers & Musicians

Look to the Archives for some of the most important names in modern music history. For example, ABBA’s Benny and Bjorn are on the most popular lists. Alternatively, honour the memory of a music giant who’s shaped your life, like Amy Winehouse, Elvis, or Freddie Mercury. Plus, the costume opportunities go without saying…

Elton (John)
Aretha
Elvis
Freddie (Mercury)
Stevie (Wonder)
Joplin
Frankie/Valli
Pavarotti
Amy (Winehouse)
Ray (Charles)
Costello (Elvis)
Benny (ABBA)
Bjorn
Sinead (O’Connor)
Moyet (Alison Moyet)
Turner (Tina Turner)
George/Michael (George Michael)
MJ (Michael Jackson)
Ravi (Shankar)
Beck (Jeff Beck)
Phil (Collins)
Billy (Ocean, Idol)
(Jim) Morrison (The Doors)
Lemmy (Motorhead)

Instruments

If your dog’s an accomplished noisemaker, plenty of instruments and manufacturers have dog-worthy names. Go classical with Banjo or Cello, embrace your inner rock god with different types of guitar, or go more technical with a synth brand. (After all, this wiener dog loves this Minimoog.)

Banjo
Harp
Sax (saxophone)
Fender (guitar)
Cello
Juno (synth)
Chang (Young Chang, piano manufacturer)
Steinway (piano)
Roland (manufacturer)
Tuba
Moog (manufacturer)
Rhodes
Oboe
Viola

Music Genres

If you’re struggling to agree on a favourite artist or song as a dog name with your partner or kids, why not widen the scope with a genre? If your dog feels like an old soul, pick a jazz or blues-themed name. If your dog is a bit more lively, name them after techno or drum and bass. And if they have a killer fringe, you’d be foolish not to call them emo.

Jazz
Blue (Blues)
Rocky (Rock)
Indie
Reggae
Americana
Ragga
Deebee (D’n’B, drum and bass)
Techno
Punk
Raggy (ragtime)
Djent (metal)
Emo
Happy (happy hardcore)

Famous Composers

Aside from Beethoven being famous in the world of dogs for other reasons, classical and neo-classical composers provide a range of distinguished names to choose from. (Plus, dogs may even prefer classical music to other types.) Classics like Mozart and Bach (the latter is especially pun-worthy) are great options, while more modern composers like Hans Zimmer and Ólafur Arnalds can also provide inspiration.

Mozart
Beethoven
Chopin
Bach
Vivaldi
Einaudi
Ólafur (Arnalds)
Max (Richter)
Nils (Frahm)
Cage (John Cage)
Hans/Zimmy (Hans Zimmer)

Band Names

Congratulations! You’ve now formed a band with your dog. (The Rolling Bones, anyone?) Bands have multiple members, inventive, dramatic names, and (often) charismatic frontpeople that can provide an easy comparison for your pup.

Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin)
Beatle
Monkee
Floyd (Pink Floyd)
Sting (The Police)
Chester (Bennington), (Mike) Shinoda (Linkin Park)
Morrissey (The Smiths)
Ian (Dury and the Blockheads)
Greenie (Green Day)
Strummer (Joe Strummer, The Clash)
Roxy (Music)
Bono (U2)
Wilson (The Beach Boys)
Jackson (The Jackson 5)
Dexy/Midnight/Eileen (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)
Crosby/Nash (Crosby

Music Terms

Music takes a lot of its working language from lovely Italian words and contains terms that imply beauty, grace, and joy – just like a dog can bring into your life. Plus, they’re incredibly descriptive. Loud barker? Choose Forte, which is how a composer shows that a particular part is played loudly. Loves running around? Tempo, or the speed of a song, might describe your furball. Other names are parts of operas or parts of music that simply sounds nice to say.

Allegro
Harmony
Melody
Concerto
Forte
Glissando
Aria
Symphony
Tempo
Midi

Rock Stars

Your dog is your little rockstar, so pay them tribute with the name of one of these outsized mega-talents. Whether they’ve got a bit of an attitude like the Gallagher brothers, the flair and pomp of Hendrix or Axl Rose, the heft of Meat Loaf, or the style of Stevie Nicks, there’s a rock star name for every dog.

Jagger (Mick Jagger)
Axl (Guns N’ Roses)
Slash
Ozzy
Hendrix
Corey (Taylor, Slipknot)
Doherty (Pete)
Avril (Lavigne)
Liam/Noel (The Gallagher Brothers, Oasis)
Stevie (Nicks)
Meat Loaf

Dog and person cuddling while listening to music

Albina Gavrilovic via iStock

Pop Icons

Bring out your dog’s inner diva with these pop star name inspirations. Both “Taylor” and “Swift” are among the most popular names. “Sabrina” (from Sabrina Carpenter) has actually become less popular as a name this year despite her chart dominance.

Roan (Chappell Roan)
Taylor (Swift)
Olivia (Rodrigo)
Jojo
Shakira
Britney
Beyonce
Gaga
Ariana (Grande)
Lipa (Dua Lipa)
Harry (Styles)

Country Stars

Yee-paw! If you’re a fan of twanging, boot-stompin’, line-dancin’, and hollerin’, give these music legends new life through your dog’s name. From the long-established (Cash, Parton, and Nelson), to the (relatively) new, like LeAnn Rimes and Tim McGraw, you can give your dog a rustic, old-country feel with a country name.

Dolly (Parton)
Willie (Nelson)
Shania (Twain)
Garth (Brooks)
Blake (Shelton)
Kenny (Rogers)
Cash (Johnny Cash)
LeAnn (Rimes)
Hank (Williams Jr.)
McGraw (Tim McGraw)
Reba (McEntire)

Hip-Hop Legends

Dogs with swagger need names that go hard. And while US rappers feature a lot here (because there’s far more of them), we needn’t overlook UK rap and Hip-Hop for dog name inspiration. From chart successes like Dave and Stormzy to underground legends like Chester P, Dr. Syntax, or Professor Elemental (and his ape butler Geoffrey), British MCs have a lot offer when it comes to naming your dog.

Tupac
Biggie
Snoop
Kendrick
Cardi
Marshall
Drake
Nate (Dogg)
Luda (Ludacris)
Chester (P)
Dave
Stormzy
Skrapz
Jesty (Jehst)
Prof/Geoffrey (Professor Elemental)
Sinners (Dr. Syntax)
Bashy

Album Titles or Song Names

To be honest, the Beatles alone have so many songs based around names that you might not need to leave their discography to find a dog name.

Abbey (Abbey Road)
Purple (Purple Rain)
Ziggy (Ziggy Stardust)
Halo (Beyoncé’s song)
Thriller
Diggidy (No Diggidy, Blackstreet)
The Mac (Return of the Mac, Mark Morrison)
Blue (Eiffel 65)
Fernando (ABBA)
Espresso (Sabrina Carpenter)
Jacqueline (Franz Ferdinand)
Stan (Eminem)
Venga (Vengabus, Vengaboys)
Alberto (Alberto Balsam, Aphex Twin)
Valerie (The Zutons/Amy Winehouse)
All-Star (Smashmouth)
Hottogo (Chappell Roan)
Champagne/Supernova (Oasis)
Gin/Juice (Snoop Dogg)

Feel free to use your imagination, scan your stack of vinyls, or browse your most-played on your streaming service for more inspiration. If you feel really stuck, use our annually updated dog name database.