There are lots of places that parents can mine for great baby names. Some parents scour baby books, some parents hit the family photo albums, and other parents — they're willing to be a little more experimental with their baby name inspiration. In fact, some people are downright wild with the names they choose! That's because instead of looking to the past (or pop culture) they take note of a different source of baby name inspiration altogether: animals. Animal names bring to mind all sorts of different connotations — whether that's the ferocious lion, delicate fawn, or the striking raven. And that variety is appealing to a lot of soon-to-be-parents who want their baby's name to evoke a certain feeling or spirit.
Much like baby names taken from nature, animal names have a certain connection to the natural world that shouldn't be overlooked. As opposed to say, names that evoke the future, animal names tend to not feel too modern or out there if mom and dad aren't quite ready to dip their toe in unusual baby names. Which means that parents who want to really go there can totally do it, while parents who want to keep things a little more traditional have plenty of options, too. We decided to compile a list of 20 wild animal-inspired names that might be a help for parents and might just spark the next great baby name trend.
RAVEN
Of course, the first name on our list had to be one of the most popular animal baby names ever — Raven. Taken from the black bird from the crow family, Ravens tend to denote mystery, intrigue, and sometimes even darkness.
LARK
Another bird-inspired to make our baby name list, Lark is more of a sweet songbird than the mysterious Raven. The name Lark has its roots in Middle English and comes from the words larke or laverke.
OTTER
We otter mention our next name, shouldn't we? OK, we'll see ourselves out. In all seriousness, most people wouldn't consider Otter the perfect baby name, but take it from actress Zooey Deschanel who named her daughter Elsie Otter, it's pretty cute!
BIRDIE
Another name that really takes flight! Birdie is obviously a play on Bird (which could also be a cute baby name too, we think!) and like actress Busy Philipps, who named her daughter Birdie Leigh, it just sounds cute!
WOLFIE
A-wooooo! This name is as cool as the full moon. Wolfie is a sweet derivation on the ferocious animal and we think it could be good for a boy or a girl. We love that this name evokes the woods, crisp fall days, and strength.
CAT
This name is absolutely purrr-fect. Cat (or Kat — however the parents prefer to spell it) is a spunky and fun name that also has witchy vibes. Of course, some might use Cat as a shortened form of the name Catherine — which is precious, too!
FAWN
A fresh new beginning, a baby just learning to use its legs — those are all of the things that come to mind when we think of Fawn. For parents who always want to evoke those first few years of baby's life, Fawn is the perfect name.
COLT
Fast as lightning, Colt is a thoroughly great boy's name that has gotten more and more possible in recent years. Other variations of Colt have become popular in recent years too, like Colton and Colten.
CRICKET
This name is music to our ears. Cricket is such a sweet name and brings to mind the classic Disney character Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. This is also another name used by actress Busy Philipps who named her youngest daughter Cricket.
SNAKE
A bit of a bad boy name, isn't it? But no worries if Snake is a little too hardcore for the little one. Other parents might think the name is rock-n-roll cool, and if mixed with a more tame middle name, it might just offer the perfect edge.
BUNNY
We're really hoppy to report that Bunny is the next name on our list. Most people have probably heard Bunny as a nickname, but truth be told, it's probably time for Bunny to become a name in its own right.
BUCK
Doe, a deer, a female deer. Buck, the perfect baby name! Cheesy song parodies aside, Buck is a great name for a family that likes to spend its time outdoors. Sort of a hunting vibe, Buck could be a cool name for a baby born during the autumn.
WREN
Mixing it up a little bit, Wren is a great gender neutral name. For both boys and girls it evokes the Old English name it's derived from wrenna or wroenna, as well as, the small bird that is the origins of this name.
EWEN
At first, one might not realize that Ewen comes for the name of a female sheep, but that's exactly how it made it to our list. Ewen is also the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Eóghan, which means "youth."
YARA
In Arabic, Yara means "small butterfly" and to us that makes the name all the more beautiful. The name Yara is also the name of a "beautiful green-skinned Brazilian goddess," which is just another reason to give it a chance.
MARLIN
A school of fish couldn't say it better, Marlin is an absolutely swimming boys' name. Taken from the name of a fish, Marlin was also taken from an English surname and means "dweller at the famous land."
ORSA
DRAKE
Before we start singing "Hotline Bling," in this case, we aren't talking about the Canadian rapper. Nope. In fact, we are talking about pretty much the complete opposite — a duck. Drake is also the transferred use of the English surname meaning “dweller at the sign of the drake or dragon.”
SABLE
Most people might not be sure what exactly a sable is, but we know for a fact that it's a small, carnivorous mammal, whose fur has been valued by fur traders. Of course, when it comes to baby names, Sable simply just cute.
LEO
Roar! This name is anything but quiet. We love Leo for a boy or a girl and most might not realize the name is derived from the Latin leo, which means "a lion." Also it's a great baby name for parents who are into astrology.
