Naming a pug is a big responsibility. It will be a word that you'll use for years to come. Here are a few tips on picking the best name for your pug. 
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The Ultimate List of Pug Names

You’ve added a pug to your family! Congratulations! Now it’s time to give your new little buddy a name. Naming a pug is a big responsibility. It will be a word that you’ll use over and over for years to come. Here are a few tips on picking the best name for your pug. 

Naming a pug is a big responsibility. It will be a word that you'll use for years to come. Here are a few tips on picking the best name for your pug. 

How to Name Your Pug

Pick a name that you like! You’ll be using it a lot, so make sure you enjoy the sound of it.

Pick a name with one or two syllables. Long names will trip up your dog, and might be annoying to say over and over. 

Avoid offensive, tacky or embarrassing names. Chances are you’ll have to say your dog’s name in front of children, at the vet or in public. 

Don’t choose a name that sounds like a command. This might confuse your dog when it comes time to training them. It will be hard for them to decipher the difference between “Kit” and “sit,” or “Ray” and “stay.”

Practice repeating the name over a few days before settling on it. When I first adopted Boogie, I wanted to name him after a chimpanzee I loved. The name, “Louzolo,” was difficult for people to say. After two days of hearing people say “huh?” and “what?” every time I shared his name, I decided it was best to pick something simpler. 

Long names need nicknames. If you’ve decided to give your dog a long name, like Sir Carlton Fluffbutt III, make sure there’s a simplified version that you like. Shorter names will allow your dog to respond quicker and will be easier to say.

What about re-naming? If you’ve adopted an adult dog who already knows their name, either keep their name the same, or change it to one that sounds similar. For example, “Dolly” can be changed to “Molly,” or “Bella” can become “Ella.”

Teach your dog their name. You can teach your dog to respond to their name by associating it with good things. Call them by their name and give them a treat when they look at you. Repeat this, so they’ll learn that responding to their name is a good thing. Remember, a name is more of a cue word to a dog than a personal identifier.  

Here’s a list of names by category, in case you want to jump ahead:

Popular Pug Names

Pug Names Starting with A

Adele
Albert
Alfie
Alfred
Alice
Alvin
Angel
Annie
Apple
Arthur
Axel

Pug Names Starting with B

Baby
Bailey
Barkley
Bart
Bean
Bear
Beatrice
Bella
Bellatrix
Benny
Betty
Billy
Biscuit
Boo
Boogie
Bowser
Brady
Brisket
Brody
Bruiser
Bruno
Bubbles
Buddy
Buffy
Bug
Bunny
Buster
Butters
Button

Pug Names Starting with C

Carl
Carlton
Cash
Chance
Charles
Chester
China
Chloe
Coco
Cooper
Cuppy

Pug Names Starting with D

Daisy
Darla
Dennis
Dexter
Dixie
Dolly
Domino
Doug
Duke

Pug Names Starting with E

Earl
Edgar
Eddie
Edie
Ella
Eleanor
Elvis
Emma
Ernie

Pug Names Starting with F

Felix
Fiona
Finn
Frank
Franklin
Freddie

Pug Names Starting with G

Gary
Gigi
Ginger
Grace
Greta
Guppy
Gunther
Gus

Pug Names Starting with H

Hamilton
Hank
Harriet
Harry
Hazel
Henry
Hugo

Pug Names Starting with I

Igor
Ike
Ivan
Izzy

Pug Names Starting with J

Jack
Jackson
Jasper
Jellybean
Jenny
Josie
Jubilee

Pug Names Starting with K

Kevin
Kobe
Kyle

Pug Names Starting with L

Leo
Lilo
Lily
Lola
Louie
Louise
Luca
Lucky
Lucy
Lulu
Luna

Pug Names Starting with M

Mable
Macho
Maggie
Magoo
Marley
Marshmallow
Max
Milo
Ming
Misha
Mocha
Mochi
Molly
Mona
Moose
Moss
Murphy

Pug Names Starting with N

Napoleon
Nicky
Nugget

Pug Names Starting with O

Olive
Oliver
Olivia
Ollie
Oscar
Otis
Ozzy

Pug Names Starting with P

Peaches
Peanut
Pearl
Pebbles
Penelope
Penny
Pepper
Percy
Phoebe
Pickels
Piper
Piggy
Poppy
Posie
Pretzel

Pug Names Starting with Q

Queenie
Quincy
Quinn

Pug Names Starting with R

Reggie
Riley
Rocky
Rosco
Rose
Roxy
Ruby
Rudy
Rufus
Rusty

Pug Names Starting with S

Sadie
Sage
Saffron
Saffy
Sammy
Sasha
Scooter
Scout
Seymour
Shadow
Skittles
Sonny
Sophie
Sparky
Spike

Pug Names Starting with T

Tank
Teddy
Thor
Tilly
Timmy
Tito
Toby
Tommy
Tucker
Tyson

Pug Names Starting with U

Una

Pug Names Starting with V

Vinny
Violet

Pug Names Starting with W

Wally
Wesley
Wilson
Winslow
Winston
Woody

Pug Names Starting with X

Xena

Pug Names Starting with Y

Yoda
Yoshi

Pug Names Starting with Z

Zane
Zara
Zed
Zelda
Zeus
Ziggy
Zion
Zoey

Pugs provide the necessary inspiration for pug memes to go viral. Take a look at the best pug memes on the Internet! Which is your favorite?

Pug Names From History

Basco– the favorite pug of Queen Elizabeth II.

Chester Ludlow – the first and only pug to receive an MBA online from Rochville University.

Diamond–one of the Duke of Windsor’s favorite pugs.

Dizzy– one of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s favorite pugs. Other favorites included Davy Crockett, Winston and Trooper.

Doug– the social media star.

Fortune– the pug of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife Josephine.

Leonard– Robin William’s pug.

Missy– one of the pugs belonging to Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Mops–Marie-Antoinette’s pug.

Oliver– one of the pugs belonging to Italian designer Valentino, for which he named his famous line of shirts and cardigans. Other favorites included Molly and her offspring Margot, Maude, Maggie, Monty and Milton.

Pompey– the official dog of the House of Orange. He saved Prince William of Holland’s life.

Punch– another pug belonging to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Winston Churchill also had a pug named Punch.

Trump – English artist William Hogarth’s pug. He painted his famous self-portrait featuring Trump.

Pug Names From Movies And Television

Alan – from the TV Show The King of Queens.

Bert – from the TV ShowLady Dynamite.

Blueberry-from the TV Show Lady Dynamite.

Frank – from the movie Men in Black, Men in Black II, and Men in Black 3.

J.B.– from Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Mel – fromThe Secret Life of Pets.

Otis – from the movie The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

Patrick – from the movie Patrick.

Percy – from Disney’s Pocahantas.

Precious – from The Nut Job.

Rufus– from Breakin’ All The Rules.

Sandwiches– from the TV Show You’re The Worst.

Pug Names from Literature

Pig – from Pig the Pug

Rosy – from Pug Pals.

Sunny – from Pug Pals.

Pug Names Using The Word “Pug”

Pug

Pugs Bunny

Puggles

Pugsley

Pugsworth

Pugzilla

Popular Girl Pug Names

Bella

Lola

Lucy

Daisy

Lily / Lilly

Zoey / Zoe

Luna

Stella

Penny

Coco

Popular Boy Pug Names

Charlie / Charley

Max

Otis

Rocky

Oliver

Frank

Frankie

Louie

Winston

Milo

Did we miss any names? Let us know in the comments. 

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Naming a pug is a big responsibility. It will be a word that you'll use for years to come. Here are a few tips on picking the best name for your pug. 

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17 Comments

  1. That’s great huge pug sweet names. I like Percy name, but what’s the meaning of Percy? Can you suggest some cool name for little morkie?

  2. Love the list for ideas! Our puppy comes home with us on July 13th along with adopting his Mom (and Milo’s Mom) Veruca named after the Willy Wonka character. Because she’s already 5 1/2, we’ll keep her name but still need to name the puppy. So stay tuned!

  3. My old boy was named Sir Maynard Diddamous III (Maynard for short), named after the singer of the band ‘Tool’. My old girl was Maddam Judith Elenore Rigby XVI (named after the real Maynards mom and of course a famous Beatles song) we called her Ellie for short.

    I got a new pug puppy a couple of weeks ago. At first I though “Weezy” but it felt weird to say. I decided on Lord Niles Cranington (named after Niles Crane from the show Frasier) and of course call him Niles.

    Great blog btw, I just discovered it. 🙂

  4. Great stuff here guys. Thank you so much! I dont have a pug but my friend is thinking about getting one and rthis was really helpful so i can make some good recommendations. Lifesaver!! Never want to be the freind who suggests a bad name. Ha! Gotta go walk my dog – not a pug (ha!)

  5. My husband and I had 2 pugs , Winston Churchill and Margret (Maggie)Thatcher. When my nephew was was an infant Winston would stand guard laying on the floor near the baby, if he made a sound or woke up Winston would snort a few times to let us know. When my nephew started to talk he couldn’t say Winston but called him “Winslow” instead so it stuck. They were good buddies until Winston passed at nearly 18 yrs. Maggie passed a few years later. That was almost 11 years ago and I miss them still. I once dressed Winston in a tux for a dog costume with top hat, walking stick and cigar shaped chew. He was the belle of the ball. Maggie was dressed as “Pug-ahantas” .

  6. My two pugs are Pebbles & Darcy. They’re sisters.
    My previous Pugs were Becca, Emily & Humphrey. Loved each one and miss the joy they brought to our home. Each one had/has a unique personality all there own.
    My daughter has a pug named Wrigley.

  7. My daughter named her Luna when we brought her home @ 5 weeks old. It quickly changed to Lovey due to her overwhelming loving and sweet nature. Best dog ever. I hate to think of ever losing her.

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