65 Good Dog Names For A Golden Retriever (boys & girls)

Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. GRs can be trained to perform a wide variety of tasks. I have hand-picked 44 good names for a Golden Retriever (boy and girls) with meanings included.

Male Golden Retriever Names

Hank

Hank is a masculine name of German origin and means ruler of the home. With a meaning like this, I find Hank to be an excellent name for a male Golden retriever. Hank is also a short form of Hendrik that is a cognate of the English Henry.

Buddy

Buddy appeared as a child-talk alteration of brother.

Ranger

Ranger has French origins and is meaning ”forest guardian.”

Cooper

Cooper means “barrel maker.”

Apollo

Apollo is the Greek god of sun and archery. His the twin brother of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis.

Harley

Harley has British origins and is symbolizing “hare’s meadow.”

Finley Molloy

Both have Irish origins. In February 2020 a male Golden Retriever held 6 tennis balls in his mouth. It is currently a Guiness World Record.

Brody

Brody is a surname in Scotland and Ireland, and it means muddy place (perfect name for a Golden Retriever).

Bear

Bear is such a popular name for dogs because it represents their strength and courage.

Knox

Knox is with Scottish origins and it refers to a small hill with a round top.

Tucker Budzyn

Tucker Budzyn is a Golden Retriever with close to 6 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.4 million followers on Instagram. Tucker means ”tailor” while Budzyn refers to someone who lived in a hut.

Rudy

Rudy means ”famous wolf.”

Odin

Odin is from the Old Norse Óðinn (”lord of frenzy”). He is recognized as the chief god of the Aesir pantheon. Interesting fact: Odin gave up an eye for knowledge.

Duke

Duke has Latin origins and it means “leader.” Duke is another name that I think is great for a Golden Retriever.

Diesel

Diesel is a strong and powerful name for a dog. It has the attributes of strength and steadfastness.

Facts about Golden Retrievers

They were originally bred in Scotland in the mid-19th century.

Goldens are used as therapy dogs to soothe people.

The American Kennel Club accepted GRs in 1925 as a distinct breed.

They’re natural athletes that excel at a variety of sports.

Finn

It comes from the Irish Fionn, meaning (fair). It also has origins in the Old Norse Finnr.

Samson

Samson is derived from the Hebrew Shimshon and means Sun. In the Bible, Samson is an extremely strong man, and his strength is derived from his uncut hair.

Nero

In Italian Nero is the color black. I find it handy if your Golden is dark gold.

Otis

It is linked to a Germanic name that is related to wealth and fortune. There is a pug named Otis in the 1986 film The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

Milo

From the Greek Milos, Milo means “yew tree.”

Clyde

Clyde has origins in Scotland and refers to individuals who used to live in close proximity to the River Clyde.

Loki

The etymology of Loki is linked with the Old Norse word logi (that means ‘flame’) as well as to the Germanic luk-. Anne Birgitta Rooth connects this name to Old Swedish “lokke“ (spider).

Hunter

It is an English occupational surname for someone who hunted game. It’s great since Goldens were bred to fetch birds on the shoot.

Ace

Ace is from the Latin acere (to be sharp). It is also a short form of Acevedo and Aceline.

Hugo

Hugo comes from the old Germanic root for mind or spirit. Hugh is the English variation and Ugo is Italian.

Angus

Angus is Scottish Gaelic and means “one strength.”

Beau

Beau has roots in the French language, especially in the Old French word “beu.” Beau means ”handsome.”

Cash

You can pick Cash for your GR if your dog is lively and exudes a certain panache.

Boone

Boone means “a timely benefit” or “good.” In Middle Dutch Boone is symbolizing ‘someone who farmed beans.’

Winston

Winston is made of the Old English roots for friend and stone. Winnie or Win are diminutives that I like.

Simba

Simba is the Swahili word for lion. Most people meet it via the 1994 film The Lion King.

Murphy

Murphy means ‘sea warrior.’ It is the most common surname in Ireland.

Rex

Rex is the 120th most popular dog name. Rex has a meaning that I like in Latin: “king.”

Zeus

It comes from Greek myth, where Zeus rules the sky from Mount Olympus.

Gus

”Venerable.”

Leo

Leo is Latin for lion and the 5th sign of the zodiac. Note: 14 popes have taken the name.

Oscar

In Irish, Oscar means “deer friend,” and in Norse “god’s spear.” It is spelled Oskar in Scandinavia and Germany.

Girls Names

Gracie

Gracie has Latin origins and is meaning ”grace.” It is connected to the Christian concept of ”divine grace.”

Bella

Bella means “beautiful” in Spanish and Italian.

Luna

Luna is Latin for moon, and the name of the Roman moon goddess. It goes north in the dog-name charts every year so you will meet a few in the park.

Athena

Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy as well as the patron of Athens.

Maggie

Maggie means pearl, and it has Greek origins.

Sadie

Sadie is a diminutive of the Hebrew Sarah. In the Bible, Sarah is the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac.

Ruby

It is related to the gemstone ruby.

Honey

Honey is good for your Golden Retriever if your dog radiates kindness.

Willow

It symbolises “willow tree.”

Freya

Freya is the Norse goddess of love and war and means “lady.” It is pronounced as FRAY-uh. Spelling variations include Freyja or Freja.

Rosie

”Rose.”

Juno

Juno is the Roman guardian of women and marriage. The month June originated from her.

How to choose a good name for your Golden Retriever

Golden retrievers are known for their obedient and friendly nature.

Consider the personality of your GR.

Shorter names stick faster in training.

Avoid minikers that sound like commands.

Stella

Stella comes from the Latin word for ”star.”

Chloe

Chloe has Greek roots and means ”blooming,.” It is also spelled Chloé or Chlöe.

Nova

Nova is Latin for ”new”. In astronomy a nova is a star that flares bright without warning.

Goldie

Goldie is from the Old English word “gold.” It is also linked with the Yiddish ”Golda.”

Macie

Macie has French roots meaning weapon.

Maple

Maple is common as a dog name in Canada and the northern states.

Cora

Cora has roots in the Greek kore and is meaning maiden. James Fenimore Cooper included Cora Munro in The Last of the Mohicans.

Amber

Amber means jewel and it has Arabic origins (anbar). Variations of Amber are Ambra in Italian and Ámbar in Spanish.

Daisy

Daisy has its origins in the Old English word dægeseage that means ”day’s eye.”

Cleo

Cleo has two meanings: ”to make famous” or ”to celebrate.”

Zoe

Zoe is Greek for ”life.” Early Greek-speaking Jews translated the name Eve.

Sunny

Sunny means ”sunshine.”

Nala

In Sanskrit Nala means ”hollow” and ”one who succeeds” in Arabic.

Ivy

Ivy has Latin and English roots and means vine.

Kona

Kona is Hawaiian for the dry, sheltered side of an island.

Piper

“Piper” evokes a sense of playfulness and is symbolizing a ”flute player.”

Penny

Penny comes from the Old English Penig (coin).