Naming your dog is one popular way to reflect your heritage, and Indian dog names are a great way to show off your passion for your background—or just your love for Indian culture in general. Whether you’re looking to celebrate your favourite Indian food (yum!) or you’re highlighting the beauty of Indian languages like Hindi, Bengali, or ancient Sanskrit, we’ve got plenty of options for your new dog to inspire you.
We selected our favourite dog names from India through a combination of outside research and digging through our Rover.com database of dog names nationwide. Many of these names aren’t heard very often at the dog park, while others show up on the list of top 100 dog names.
75 Best Indian Dog Names
- Adil (sincere)
- Akash (the sky)
- Amir (rich)
- Amiya (delight)
- Arjun (white)
- Asha (hope/desire)
- Bala (young girl)
- Baloo (bear from The Jungle Book)
- Bandar (monkey)
- Bangle
- Bari (great)
- Batuk (boy)
- Beta (son)
- Bolly (like Bollywood)
- Cardamom
- Cashmere
- Chai
- Champak (flower)
- Chandra (shining moon)
- Chutney
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Coconut
- Dakshi (“The Glorious”)
- Delhi
- Devi (goddess)
- Dosa (crispy flatbread)
- Falgun (spring)
- Goa (beautiful beach)
- Haddi (bone)
- Hardik (sincere)
- Holi (spring festival celebration)
- Indra (rainbow)
- Jasmine
- Jihan (cosmos)
- Karma
- Kumar (prince)
- Kutta (dog)
- Ladki (girl)
- Lalasa (love)
- Lalit (handsome)
- Lamba (long—for a Dachshund perhaps?)
- Mani (jewel)
- Marigold
- Masala
- Mohan (attractive)
- Mowgli (boy in The Jungle Book)
- Naan
- Namaste
- Nirav (still/calm)
- Pakora (delicious fritter)
- Palm
- Paneer
- Parth (warrior prince)
- Pashmina
- Raja (king)
- Rohit (red)
- Saffron
- Sakari (lovely)
- Samosa
- Silk
- Smita (happy face)
- Sona (golden)
- Spice
- Sumit (best friend, awww!)
- Sundar (beautiful)
- Tara (star)
- Tiger
- Toddy (alcoholic beverage)
- Turmeric
- Typhoon
- Vindaloo
- Yasti (slim—for those pups on the thinner side!)
- Yoga
- Yogi
Top 5 Most Popular Female Indian-Themed Dog Names
In Rover’s top 1000 dog names database
- Jasmine
- Karma
- Cinnamon
- Coconut
- Tara
Top 5 Most Popular Male Indian-Themed Dog Names
In Rover’s top 1000 dog names database
- Raja (king)
- Yogi
- Tiger
- Baloo (from The Jungle Book)
- Mowgli (also from The Jungle Book)
Dog Naming Advice
Are you still uncertain about which moniker to choose? You’re not alone. Some dog owners just know their pet is a Bailey or Peaches as soon as they make eye contact, but many other pet parents need time to try out various options. If you’re having trouble deciding, keep in mind that a creative dog name can come from many different sources of inspiration, such as your favourite foods, books, celebrities, your heritage, or even dog breed history.
Another consideration when choosing your dog’s name? Dog training. This is of particular importance for puppies. When you’re teaching your new dog to respond to commands like sit, stay, or come, you’ll want to be sure their name isn’t a source of confusion. In other words, avoid puppy names that sound like a common dog training cue, such as “Bit,” which could easily be misheard as “sit.” Many dog experts recommend choosing a name with at least two syllables and a sing-song or vowel sound at the end.
Of course, what matters most is that the dog name you choose rolls off your tongue with ease. You’ll want to select a name that you feel comfortable repeating because you’ll be saying it…a lot. Your dog’s name should make you happy!
We’re fans of the “backdoor test” for dog name selection. It’s pretty much what it sounds like: stand at the back door and call out your new dog‘s potential name. Saying “Delhi, it’s time for dinner!” or “Asha, leave it!” helps take the name out of your imagination and into reality.
More Dog Names
Here at Rover, we find dog names absolutely fascinating, and we love searching through our data on the topic to discover hot trends, quirky choices, and unique twists on classics. Over the years, we’ve compiled plenty of names for you to peruse—and we keep our lists updated with new dog name data each year. You can also check out our list of unique dog names or take a look at our list of celebrity-inspired dog names!
The Dog Name Generator
If you need some more name inspiration, check out our Dog Name Generator! We’ll delve into our huge Rover database of dog names and based on the information you provide, we’ll give you some dog-name-related intel. We’ll tell you the two most popular dog names for your dog’s breed and gender, and if you’re looking for a name that stands out from the pack, you’re in luck! We’re throwing in a third, decidedly random option that’s just for fun. That’s right, we won’t just give you one result, we’ll give you three whole dog names to choose from! Then we’ll leave it up to you to decide if your new addition is more of an Audrey or a Princess Porkchop.
