Choosing the right Russian puppy name is very important. Most of them have their meanings and may sound inappropriate for your pet if translated from Russian. The name you choose will always tell people how you view your dog and how you treat him.
The name of your new puppy should match its appearance and personality. It would be strange to give the same name to the savage Caucasian Dog and to the miniature terrier.
Of course, you can call your Russian puppy just “Sobaka” which means dog in Russian. But it’s much better to use this Russian dog site for creative and fortunate selection of the proper Russian dog name.
Russian Dog Naming Traditions
In Russia there are some historical traditions in naming dogs. The mongrels were usually given diminutive names like “Zhuchka” (beetle) and “Druzhok” (buddy), whereas the purebred Russian dogs were given names depending on their breed and employment.
Caucasian dogs and Central Asian dogs were traditionally given oriental or relating to the Orient names like “Shah” (shah), “Sultan” (sultan), “Batyr” (brave man), or «Ajsha” (female name).
Russian Laikas and Samoyeds were bearing names associating with climate and geography of the Northern regions (“Taiga” – taiga, “Purga” – blizzard, “Vjyuga” – snowstorm).
The names of the Russian wolfhounds, the Borsois, were telling about their great abilities (“Bystryj” – swift, “Lovkij” – agile, “Zorkij” – sharp-sighted) or their character (“Smelyj” – brave, “Lyutyj” – fierce). Quite often they were named after birds (“Berkut” – golden eagle, “Sokol” – falcon) or by imperative verbs (“Dogonyaj” – run down, «Hvataj” – catch).
The Russian hounds‘ names were also related to their hunting activities. They were frequently given names that specified their bays (“Pevun” – songster, “Organ” – organ, “Buben” – tambourine).
Today these Borzois’ and Russian hounds’ names are mostly used by hunters, whereas other owners prefer regular Russian dog names which are less specific and easier to pronounce.
It’s up to you whether to follow Russian traditions in naming your new puppy, or to choose any nice male or female name from our lists of Russian names for dogs:
Attention Russian Puppies Owners!
If you want to name your Russian puppy by a certain Russian word please feel free to send us this word in English and we will find the best-sounding Russian translation for it.
Our new Samoyed puppy will be joining us in a few weeks. We were considering calling her RAISA, told the meaning is “rose” , How is this word pronounced? Are there other words for “rose” as in the color rose versus the flower rose?
Actually, Raisa is not a “rose”. It’s a Greek name meaning “light-hearted”. The most well-known Raisa among Russians was the wife of Mikhail Gorbachev. It is pronounced like “ra-EE-sa” (EE like in deep).
In Russian “rose” as the color is “RO-zo-viy” or “RO-zo-vaya” (feminine). It doesn’t sound well for a dog’s name. “Rose” as the flower is “Ro-za”. It’s often used as a women’s name in Russia.
Did you look through the list of female dog names on this site? Probably you can find something nice for your puppy: http://www.russiandog.net/russian-dog-names/female-russian-dog-names
I wish to name my Caucasian Shepherd dog Proud Warrior, in russian. Any help with the translation will be appreciated.
Jerry McAdams
The translation is Gordy Voin (Гордый Воин), pronounced as GOR-dyj VO-in (capitals for stress).