Over 200 Old Man Dog Names:  What's Old is New Again

Old Man Names for Dogs by Janice Jones, Updated 01-04-2024

Call them Old-Fashioned, classic or Vintage, some names seem to come and go, but many are making a comeback.

Some ancient boy names are just as popular today as they were 4 or 5 centuries ago.  Consider John, William, Andrew, George, or Henry.  Some names just seem to stand the test of time. 

Others come in and go out of favor as the centuries march forward.  But what if you want a unique name of a dog rather than your human son?  Some of those names that seem to be lost to history can quickly be revived by naming your male puppy an old man's name.

Sounds odd?  Well, maybe it's not as unusual as you might think.

Why Old Man Dog Names?

Undoubtedly a significant inspiration for dog names in recent names is the need by many pet parents to make their dog stand out in a crowd. 

Consider a typical dog park where there are multiple numbers of dogs. Isn't it easier to shot out the name Beauregard instead of Rover? 

Dog parents what something more unusual, rare, or even unique to their extraordinary four-legged child.   

Suppose you anticipate the arrival of your newest boy puppy. In that case, you might also want to choose a remarkable name for that fur friend. 

You know, Something that your friends never imagined. 

Something that just rings true to your own individualism.  Perhaps you want to turn the old new again by choosing an old man name for your dog.

Or,

Perhaps, you just like the sound of the names of your grand or great-grandparents.  Some are unquestionably dated.  Those rather antique names may resonate in your mind. 

Or,

Are you a history buff?  A lover of historical fiction?  A binge-watcher of historical dramas such as Netflix's Bridgerton or Outlander?  

You'll find that many historical boy names have stood the test of time.  Think John, William, or Charles if you are among those of English-speaking nations.  Those names never seem to go out of fancy. 

But, there are other just as ancient names that may not be as popular today as they were 1000 years ago.  These are the names that many people chose for their new fur babies.

A Brief History of Names

Many names in Colonial American were borrowed from the country from which people originally immigrated.  Since there was such as large population coming from England, most names were predominately English, Scottish, or Irish in origin.

Each new century brought new ideas to naming their babies.  For example, in Victorian times, Biblical names, as well as names from literature, history, mythology, royalty, and military heroes, were quite popular, especially in the United States.

Where did we find these Old Man Dog Names?

Many came from my own head or those of my family, but I'll admit, I had some help. 

As you read down the list of names, you will notice that many of them are Hebrew in origin and can be found in the Bible. 

Some are taken from the names of former U.S. Presidents.  Many come from English, Scottish, and Irish historical documents from the 19th, 18th, 17, and 16th centuries. 

Some reflect names from the colonial period of American history.

I will also admit that I love historical fiction. I'm also an amateur historian, so many of the names popped into my head from the resources I encountered.  I also have quite a few relatives with names that fit the bill as well.

These names are listed below alphabetically, but any 21st-century reader will recognize most of these names because they have been used in current and popular culture, either in print or the big screen.  All these names have a decidedly old tone and would make great dog names for a male puppy.

Old Man Dog Names Based on Biblical Figures

1. Adam
2. Noah
3. Abraham
4. Isaac
5. Jacob
6. Moses
7. Aaron
8. David
9. Solomon
10. Jonah
11. Samuel
12. Daniel
13. Joshua
14. Paul
15. Peter
16. John
17. Matthew
18. Mark
19. Luke
20. James
21. Joseph
22. Benjamin
23. Eli
24. Nathan
25. Job

Old Man Dog Names Based on Historical or Polical Figures

• Albert - Albert Einstein, a theoretical physicist
• Adolf - Adolf Hitler, a German dictator
• Calvin - John Calvin, a leading figure in Protestant Reformation, or Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
• Darius - name of many Persian emperors
• Franklin - Benjamin Franklin, American polymath, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
• Garfield - James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States
• Harrison - William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison, both former U.S. Presidents
• Hugo - Victor Hugo, French writer
• Luther - Martin Luther, a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation
• Martin - Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights leader
• Napoleon - Napoleon Bonaparte, French military and political leader
• Randolph - Edmund Randolph, the first Attorney General of the United States
• Theodore - Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
• Ulysses - Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States
• Wilson - Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States
• Woodrow - Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States.

Old Man Dog Names Based on Writers, Philosophers, and Poets

• Albert - for Albert Camus, French philosopher & author.
• Clarence - for Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, an Australian poet.
• Darius - for Darius James, a novelist, essayist, and spoken-word performer.
• Edgar - for Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer.
• Ernest - for Ernest Hemingway, an American author.
• Hugo - for Victor Hugo, a French author.
• Nathaniel - for Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American novelist.
• Oscar - for Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet and playwright.
• Ralph - for Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher.
• Isaac - for Isaac Asimov, renowned science fiction writer.

Old Man Dog Names Based From Artists and Musicians

• Angus - Angus Young from the rock band AC/DC.
• Ludwig - Ludwig van Beethoven, a famous classical composer.
• Felix - Felix Mendelssohn, a notable German composer during the early Romantic period.
• Vincent - Vincent Van Gogh, a famous Dutch painter.
• Pablo - Pablo Picasso, a renowned Spanish painter.
• Maurice - Maurice Ravel, a well-known French composer.
• Leo - Leo Fender, an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company.
• Hugo - Hugo Alfvén, a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter.
• Oscar - Oscar Peterson, a Canadian jazz pianist.
• Raphael - Raphael Sanzio, a renowned Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance.
• Francis - Francis Picabia, a French avant-garde painter, poet, and typographer.
• Dexter - Dexter Gordon, an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Names Inspired by Literature, Movies and Pop Culture

• Alvin - Alvin from "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
• Arthur - King Arthur from Arthurian legends.
• Benedict - Benedict Cumberbatch, a popular actor.
• Calvin - Calvin from the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes."
• Darius - Darius from the "Prince of Persia" game series.
• Dexter - Dexter Morgan, the main character in the television series "Dexter"
• Earl - Earl Hickey from the TV show "My Name is Earl."
• Garfield - Garfield the cat from the comic strip.
• Hamlet - The protagonist of Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet."
• Hugo - The title character in Brian Selznick's novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and its movie adaptation "Hugo".
• Leo - Leo, one of the main characters in the movie "Inception".
• Luther - John Luther, the main character in the BBC crime drama "Luther".
• Marvin - Marvin the Paranoid Android from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series
• Marmaduke - Marmaduke, the Great Dane from the comic strip of the same name.
• Oscar - Oscar the Grouch from "Sesame Street."
• Roland - Roland Deschain, the protagonist of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series.
• Rudolph - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• Simon - Simon from the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" series.
• Silvester - Sylvester the Cat from Looney Tunes.
• Theodore - Theodore, one of the chipmunks from "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
• Ulysses - Ulysses from the epic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
• Victor - Victor Frankenstein, the main character in Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein."
• Wilson - Wilson, the volleyball from the movie "Cast Away."

Old Man Dog Names:  The Complete List

1. Alvin

2. Abbott

3. Abner

4. Abner

5. Abraham

6. Adolf

7. Albert

8. Amos

9. Angus

10. Archibald

11. Archie

12. Arthur

13. Artie

14.Barnaby

15. Bartholomew

16. Baxter

17. Beauregard

18. Benedict

19. Bernie

20. Bertrand

21. Boss

22. Bubba

23. Buck

24. Calvin

25. Casper

26. Cecil

27. Chester

28. Clarence

29. Claude

30. Cleveland

31. Clifford

32. Clyde

33. Cornelius

34. Cyrus

35. Darius

36. Darrell

37. Dexter

38.Douglas

39. Earl

40. Earnest

41. Ebenezer

42. Ebert

43. Edgar

44. Edmund

45. Eli

46. Elmer

47. Enoch

48. Ezekiel

49. Ezekiel

50. Felix

51. Fletcher

52. Floyd

53. Francis

54. Fredrick

55. Franklin

56. Garfield

57. Gerald

58. Gerard

59. Gideon

60. Giles

61. Grover

62. Gus

63. Hamlet

64. Harold

65. Harrison

66. Herman

67. Herbert

68. Homer

69. Horace

70. Howard

71. Hubert

72. Hugh

73. Hugo

74. Ignatius

74. Ira

75. Ives

76. Jarvis

77. Jasper

78. Jeb

79. Jemima

80. Jethro

81. Kenneth

82. Kirk

83. Lancelot

84. Laurence

85. Leo

86. Leon

87. Leonard

88. Leopard

89. Leroy

90. Levi

91. Linus

92. Lionel

93. Lister

94. Lloyd

95. Ludwig

96. Luther

97. Maddok

98. Marmaduke

99. Marvin

100. Marshall

101. Martin

102. Mason

103. Maurice

104. Maurice

105. Maxwell

106. Merritt

107. Millard

108. Monty

109. Mortimer

110. Morton

111. Moses

Still More Old Man Dog Names

112. Napoleon

113. Nathaniel

114. Nelson

115. Nigel

116. Norman

117. Orville

118. Oscar

119. Oswald

120. Oswald

121. Otis

122. Otto

123. Pablo

124. Pappy

125. Percy

126. Percival

127. Phineas

128. Quintin

129. Ralph

130. Randolph

131. Raymond

132. Reginald

133. Reuben

134. Rhett

135. Roland

136. Royce

137. Rudolph

138. Rudy

139. Rufus

140. Rupert

141. Seymour

142. Sherman

143. Sigmund

144. Silas

145. Silvester

146. Simon

147. Solomon

148. Stanley

149. Staurt

150. Thaddeus

151. Theodore

152. Thorton

153. Tobias

154. Ulysses

155. Upton

156. Vincent

157. Vernon

158. Victor

159. Walter

160. Wilbur

161. Willy

162. Virgil

163. Waldo

164. Wallace

165. Walt

166. Walter

167. Wilbur

168. Willard

169. Wilson

170. Woodrow

171. Wyatt

172. Xavier

173. Yves

174. Zachariah

Different Ways to Say Grandfather

175. Poppy

176. Papa

177. Gramps

176. Peepaw

177. Pop-Pop

178. Pépé (French Canadian)

179. Papi (French)

180. Opa (German)

181. Saba (Hebrew)

182. Baba (Japanese)

183. Abuelo (Spanish)

184. Papu (Greek)

185. Nonno (Italian)

186. Lolo (Philipines)

Helpful Sources & References for Old Man Dog Names

Very Well Family

Ideas for Names

Old Man Dog Names:  Pin for Future Reference

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