Harry Potter Dog Names: 200+ Magical Ideas for Your Dog

Naming a dog after Harry Potter should be easy.

There are hundreds of characters, creatures, spells, places and magical objects to choose from.

Then the puppy arrives.

Suddenly Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore seems slightly ambitious for something currently eating the corner of the coffee table.

Fortunately, the Wizarding World gives us plenty of names that work remarkably well on actual dogs.

There’s Luna for a dreamy little girl.

Hagrid for something enormous and hairy.

Dobby for the puppy who is approximately 40 percent ears.

Sirius for a handsome black dog.

Padfoot for perhaps the most obvious dog connection of all.

And Fluffy for the eight-pound Chihuahua currently terrorizing everyone in the house.

Whether you want something instantly recognizable or a subtle reference only another Potter fan will notice, here are more than 200 magical possibilities.

Our Favorite Magical Names

If we were making the first shortlist, these would be on it.

• Albus — Dumbledore’s first name and surprisingly distinguished on a dog.
• Bellatrix — Dramatic, dark and impossible to ignore.
• Dobby — Almost irresistible when the ears are enormous.
• Fang — Hagrid’s giant dog already proves this one works.
• Fawkes — Dumbledore’s magnificent phoenix.
• Fleur — Elegant, feminine and easy to call.
• Fluffy — The three-headed dog guarding the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Fred — One half of the Weasley twins and excellent troublemaker material.
• Ginny — Warm, spirited and wonderfully usable.
• Hagrid — For something large, hairy and fundamentally kind.
• Harry — Sometimes the obvious choice is perfectly good.
• Hedwig — Beautiful for a pale or white dog.
• Hermione — For the dog who clearly understands considerably more than you’re giving her credit for.
• Luna — One of the easiest Potter names to use in everyday life.
• Lupin — Particularly fitting given Remus Lupin’s werewolf connection.
• Minerva — Distinguished and formidable.
• Moody — We all know at least one dog who has earned this.
• Neville — Wonderful for an awkward puppy who grows into himself.
• Nimbus — Fast, light and genuinely good as a dog name.
• Nox — Short, dark and unusual.
• Padfoot — Sirius Black’s Marauder nickname and one of the very best choices for a dog.
• Pippin — Not Potter. Wrong wizarding franchise. We caught ourselves. Moving on.
• Remus — Strong and understated.
• Sirius — Perhaps the best Potter reference that also sounds completely natural as a dog name.
• Snitch — Excellent for something small and nearly impossible to catch.
• Tonks — Short, fun and full of personality.
• Weasley — Particularly good for a red or ginger dog.

For the Boys

Plenty of male characters have names that work beautifully without sounding like you’ve named your dog after an encyclopedia entry.

• Aberforth — Dumbledore’s younger brother; Abe makes an easy nickname.
• Alastor — Mad-Eye Moody’s first name.
• Albus — Distinguished and immediately recognizable.
• Amos — Cedric Diggory’s father.
• Arthur — Mr. Weasley and a genuinely excellent everyday dog name.
• Barty — Short for Barty Crouch.
• Cedric — Handsome and heroic.
• Charlie — The dragon-loving Weasley.
• Colin — For Colin Creevey.
• Cormac — A little more unusual.
• Dean — Simple and understated.
• Diggory — More obvious than Cedric.
• Draco — Strong, sharp and particularly good on a dramatic dog.
• Dudley — Fantastic on something stocky.
• Ernie — From Ernie Macmillan.
• Fred — Born for a mischievous dog.
• George — Slightly less obviously Potter without Fred nearby.
• Gideon — A Prewett family name.
• Godric — One of Hogwarts’ founders.
• Hagrid — Technically Rubeus, but Hagrid is much more fun.
• Harry — The Boy Who Lived.
• James — Harry’s father.
• Kingsley — Strong and distinctive.
• Lee — Lee Jordan.
• Lucius — Excellent on something that believes the house belongs to him.
• Neville — Charming and underrated.
• Oliver — Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch captain.
• Percy — Another Weasley and a great traditional name.
• Remus — Professor Lupin.
• Ron — Short, friendly and unmistakably Weasley.
• Rubeus — Hagrid’s first name.
• Seamus — Lively and easy to call.
• Sirius — One of our favorites.
• Theodore — Theodore Nott.
• Viktor — Viktor Krum.
• Xeno — Shortened from Xenophilius Lovegood.

For the Girls

Some of the strongest names in the series belong to its witches.

• Alice — Alice Longbottom.
• Angelina — Angelina Johnson.
• Arabella — Arabella Figg.
• Bellatrix — Dark and theatrical.
• Cho — Short and distinctive.
• Fleur — Elegant and genuinely lovely.
• Gabrielle — Fleur’s younger sister.
• Ginny — One of the easiest choices to live with.
• Hannah — Hannah Abbott.
• Helena — The Grey Lady.
• Helga — Hogwarts founder Helga Hufflepuff.
• Hermione — Brilliant and unmistakable.
• Katie — Katie Bell.
• Lavender — Soft and floral.
• Lily — Harry’s mother and a beautiful dog name regardless of fandom.
• Luna — Probably the most naturally usable female choice.
• Mafalda — Unusual and wonderfully witchy.
• Minerva — Professor McGonagall.
• Molly — The formidable heart of the Weasley family.
• Narcissa — Dramatic and elegant.
• Padma — Padma Patil.
• Pansy — Pansy Parkinson.
• Parvati — Parvati Patil.
• Penelope — Penelope Clearwater.
• Petunia — Especially funny on a dog.
• Pomona — Professor Sprout’s first name.
• Rita — Rita Skeeter.
• Romilda — An uncommon choice.
• Rowena — Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw.
• Sybil — Inspired by Sybill Trelawney.
• Tonks — Technically a surname, but much better than Nymphadora for yelling across the park.
• Winky — The house-elf.

The Marauders

For dog naming purposes, this may be the richest little corner of the entire series.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew became Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail respectively. Sirius’s Animagus form was a large black dog, while Remus transformed into a werewolf.

• James — Prongs himself.
• Moony — Remus Lupin’s nickname.
• Padfoot — Sirius Black’s nickname and our favorite of the four for a dog.
• Prongs — James Potter’s nickname.
• Remus — Wolfish without being obvious.
• Sirius — Especially good for a black dog.
• Wormtail — Peter Pettigrew’s nickname.

Padfoot is difficult to beat.

It’s an authentic Potter reference.

It’s directly connected to a dog.

And unlike Wormtail, it doesn’t sound like something your veterinarian needs to treat.

Hogwarts Professors and Staff

The staff room alone could name a respectable pack of dogs.

• Albus — Dumbledore.
• Binns — Professor of History of Magic.
• Dumbledore — A lot of name, but a magnificent one.
• Filch — Particularly good for a grumpy-looking dog.
• Filius — Professor Flitwick’s first name.
• Flitwick — Quirky and memorable.
• Hagrid — Keeper of Keys and Grounds.
• Mad-Eye — Moody’s famous nickname.
• Minerva — Professor McGonagall.
• Moody — Professor Alastor Moody.
• Pomfrey — Hogwarts’ matron.
• Pomona — Professor Sprout.
• Quirrell — An unusual deep-cut choice.
• Rubeus — Hagrid.
• Severus — Snape’s first name.
• Sinistra — Astronomy professor.
• Slughorn — Absolutely ridiculous on a dog, which may be why it works.
• Snape — Sharp and instantly recognizable.
• Sprout — One of the best choices for a puppy.
• Trelawney — For the dog who knows dinner is coming before you do.
• Vector — Professor of Arithmancy.

Gryffindor-Inspired Ideas

The Sorting Hat associates Gryffindor with daring, while Harry, Ron, Hermione and many other central characters belong to the house.

For a brave, outgoing or slightly reckless dog:

• Albus
• Charlie
• Fred
• George
• Ginny
• Godric
• Harry
• Hermione
• James
• Lion
• Minerva
• Neville
• Percy
• Ron
• Ruby
• Seamus
• Sirius
• Weasley

And then there’s:

Gryffindog.

We didn’t invent it.

We’re not particularly proud of liking it.

But we do.

Hufflepuff-Inspired Ideas

Hufflepuff’s association with loyalty makes it an almost suspiciously appropriate house for dogs.

• Badger — The house animal.
• Cedric — One of its most famous students.
• Diggory — A little more obvious.
• Ernie — Ernie Macmillan.
• Hannah — Hannah Abbott.
• Helga — Helga Hufflepuff.
• Huffle — Cute shortened version.
• Puff — Even cuter.
• Sprout — Professor Sprout was Head of Hufflepuff House.
• Tonks — Another notable Hufflepuff.

And naturally:

Hufflepup — Very good.

Hufflepug — Considerably better if you actually own a Pug.

Ravenclaw-Inspired Ideas

For the dog who solved the treat puzzle before you finished reading the instructions.

• Cho — Cho Chang.
• Flitwick — Head of Ravenclaw House.
• Helena — Ravenclaw’s house ghost.
• Luna — Luna Lovegood.
• Raven — A subtle house reference.
• Rowena — Founder Rowena Ravenclaw.
• Xeno — Xenophilius Lovegood.

Ravenpaw is not canon.

It is, however, an extremely good dog pun.

We’ll allow it.

Slytherin-Inspired Ideas

For ambitious dogs.

Clever dogs.

Resourceful dogs.

Dogs who have figured out how to open the pantry.

• Bellatrix — Dramatic and dangerous.
• Draco — Probably the strongest everyday option.
• Lucius — Perfect for something extremely pleased with itself.
• Malfoy — More obviously Potter.
• Narcissa — Elegant and unusual.
• Pansy — Pansy Parkinson.
• Regulus — Sirius Black’s younger brother.
• Salazar — Slytherin’s founder.
• Scorpius — Draco’s son.
• Severus — Snape.
• Snape — Shorter and sharper.
• Theo — Inspired by Theodore Nott.
• Tom — The considerably less alarming version of Tom Riddle.

Slytherin itself is perhaps a little cumbersome.

Slobberin, unfortunately, is not.

Magical Creatures and Animals

This is where things become particularly good for pets.

• Aragog — Hagrid’s enormous Acromantula.
• Buckbeak — The Hippogriff.
• Crookshanks — Hermione’s exceptionally intelligent cat.
• Dobby — The house-elf.
• Errol — The Weasley family’s owl.
• Fang — Hagrid’s enormous boarhound.
• Fawkes — Dumbledore’s phoenix.
• Firenze — The centaur.
• Fluffy — Hagrid’s three-headed dog.
• Goblin — More species than individual, but fun.
• Hedwig — Harry’s snowy owl.
• Kreacher — The Black family’s house-elf.
• Nagini — Voldemort’s snake.
• Norbert — Hagrid’s dragon.
• Phoenix — Powerful and recognizable.
• Pixie — Small magical menace. Many puppies qualify.
• Scabbers — Ron’s suspiciously long-lived rat.
• Thestral — Dark and unusual.
• Trevor — Neville’s frequently misplaced toad.
• Winky — The house-elf.

The official Wizarding World describes house-elves as small beings with large eyes and bat-like ears.

Which explains approximately 87 percent of dogs named Dobby.

Spells That Actually Work as Dog Names

Not every spell makes a practical name.

Wingardium Leviosa is going to become exhausting around lunchtime.

These, however, have potential.

• Accio — The Summoning Charm.
• Alohomora — Opens locked doors.
• Expelliarmus — Expelli for short, perhaps.
• Lumos — Creates light.
• Nox — Extinguishes wand light.
• Patronus — Inspired by the Patronus Charm.
• Protego — Shield Charm.
• Riddikulus — Used against a Boggart.
• Stupefy — Stunning Spell.

Accio may be the funniest possible name for a dog with unreliable recall.

“Accio!”

Nothing.

“ACCIO!”

The dog continues running toward a squirrel.

Apparently magic has limits.

Potions, Plants and Magical Objects

The Wizarding World extends far beyond characters, and some of the stranger references make excellent subtle names. Hogwarts’ greenhouses, for example, contain magical plants including Mandrakes, while the wider official encyclopedia catalogs plants, potions and magical objects alongside characters and creatures.

• Bezoar — A magical antidote ingredient.
• Broom — Very literal, but surprisingly cute.
• Felix — Inspired by Felix Felicis.
• Floo — From Floo Powder.
• Gilly — Inspired by Gillyweed.
• Horcrux — Dark choice. Very dark choice.
• Mandrake — Excellent for a noisy puppy.
• Mirror — A subtle nod to the Mirror of Erised.
• Pensieve — Dumbledore’s memory-holding object.
• Phoenix — Also works through the Order of the Phoenix.
• Portkey — Odd enough to be memorable.
• Remembrall — Neville could have used one.
• Sneakoscope — Perhaps Sneaky for everyday purposes.
• Willow — Inspired by the Whomping Willow.

Quidditch Names

If your dog spends most of the day chasing things through the air, Quidditch offers obvious material.

• Beater — One of the Quidditch positions.
• Bludger — Particularly good for a solid dog who tends to run into furniture.
• Chaser — Almost suspiciously appropriate.
• Firebolt — Harry’s famous broomstick.
• Keeper — Sweet even without the reference.
• Nimbus — Inspired by the Nimbus broomsticks.
• Oliver — Oliver Wood.
• Quaffle — Quirky and fun.
• Quidditch — A little long, but unmistakable.
• Seeker — Harry’s position.
• Snitch — The Golden Snitch.

Snitch may be the winner.

Tiny.

Fast.

Difficult to catch.

We have just described several Jack Russell Terriers.

Places From the Wizarding World

Hogwarts itself contains memorable locations including the Great Hall, Room of Requirement, dungeons, Astronomy Tower, library and Forbidden Forest.

The wider magical world gives us even more.

• Alley — Inspired by Diagon Alley.
• Azkaban — Dark, dramatic and probably best for a dog with a sense of humor.
• Burrow — The Weasley family home.
• Diagon — From Diagon Alley.
• Forest — The Forbidden Forest.
• Gringotts — Wizarding bank.
• Hogsmeade — Perhaps Hoggy for short.
• Hogwarts — There is no hiding the reference.
• Knockturn — From Knockturn Alley.
• Privet — Privet Drive.
• Spinner — Spinner’s End.
• Surrey — A subtle geographic reference.

Burrow is particularly charming. The Weasley home is portrayed as wonderfully chaotic and homey, full of family life and assorted magical oddities.

Which, come to think of it, isn’t a terrible description of a house with several dogs either.

Food and Drink

A few edible Wizarding World references make surprisingly good pet names.

• Bertie — Inspired by Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.
• Butterbeer — Butter for short.
• Cauldron — From Cauldron Cakes.
• Fizz — Inspired by Fizzing Whizzbees.
• Fudge — Also conveniently the surname of Cornelius Fudge.
• Pumpkin — Pumpkin juice and a perfectly good pet name.
• Treacle — Harry’s beloved treacle tart.

Fudge is especially efficient.

Potter reference.

Food name.

Excellent dog name.

Three jobs completed before breakfast.

Darker Names

Not every puppy looks like a Dobby.

Some arrive looking as though they’ve already selected a lair.

• Alecto — Alecto Carrow.
• Bellatrix — One of the strongest dark choices.
• Borgin — Borgin and Burkes.
• Carrow — Dark but subtle.
• Draco — Stylish rather than outright villainous.
• Lucius — Sophisticated menace.
• Malfoy — Instantly recognizable.
• Nagini — Sleek and sinister.
• Narcissa — Elegant rather than obviously dark.
• Nox — Darkness in a single syllable.
• Riddle — From Tom Riddle.
• Salazar — Slytherin founder.
• Snape — Complicated enough that we’ll leave the moral classification to the reader.
• Voldemort — Quite a commitment.
• Yaxley — Obscure and unusual.

A tiny white Maltese named Voldemort?

That has possibilities.

For Black Dogs

Sirius Black gives us the obvious starting point.

His Animagus form was a large black dog, and his Marauder nickname was Padfoot.

• Bellatrix
• Black
• Draco
• Moony
• Nox
• Padfoot
• Regulus
• Riddle
• Sirius
• Snape
• Thestral
• Tonks

Sirius is probably the winner here.

It works as a genuine dog name even when nobody around you knows the reference.

For White Dogs

A pale coat opens a different side of the Wizarding World.

• Albus
• Dobby
• Fawkes
• Fleur
• Ghost
• Hedwig
• Luna
• Nimbus
• Patronus
• Phoenix

Hedwig is especially lovely for a white female dog.

And Albus has a bonus: the Latin word albus means white.

For Big Dogs

This is Hagrid territory.

• Aragog
• Buckbeak
• Dumbledore
• Fang
• Fluffy
• Grawp
• Hagrid
• Mad-Eye
• Maxime
• Rubeus
• Slughorn

Hagrid on a Newfoundland?

Done.

We can all go home.

For Little Dogs

This is where Potter names become dangerous because the contrast can be too good.

• Dobby
• Fang
• Fawkes
• Fluffy
• Gilly
• Lumos
• Nox
• Pixie
• Snitch
• Sprout
• Trevor
• Winky

A five-pound Yorkie named Fang is objectively better than a five-pound Yorkie named Precious.

We don’t make the rules.

Cute Names for Puppies

For the puppy currently more interested in your shoelaces than defeating the Dark Lord:

• Bertie
• Dobby
• Dottie
• Fang
• Fawkes
• Floo
• Fluffy
• Ginny
• Luna
• Moony
• Neville
• Pixie
• Puff
• Snitch
• Sprout
• Tonks
• Trevor
• Winky

Funny Harry Potter Dog Names

Now we can behave badly.

• Barktemius — Barty Crouch has gone canine.
• Dogwarts — School of Barkcraft and Treatery.
• Dumbledog — Subtle this is not.
• Fang — Particularly funny when the dog has almost no teeth.
• Hairy Pawter — We apologize.
• Hairy Potter — We apologize again.
• Hufflepug — Excellent if breed-appropriate.
• Hufflepup — Slightly more universal.
• Pansy Barkinson — A better spelling of the old article’s Pansy Barkison joke.
• Pawter — Minimal effort. Maximum recognition.
• Ravenpaw — Actually pretty good.
• Roverclaw — Terrible. Therefore useful.
• Sirius Bark — You knew it was coming.
• Slobberin — For a Mastiff who knows exactly what he did.
• Sniffindor — Brave enough to investigate every shrub.
• The Dog Who Lived — More title than name.
• Voldemutt — We’re stopping soon.
• Weasleash — Yes, now we’re definitely stopping.

Gryffindog remains annoyingly good.

Subtle References Only Potter Fans May Catch

Maybe you don’t want to stand in the dog park shouting VOLDEMORT!

Fair.

These give you the connection without putting it on a billboard.

• Abe — From Aberforth.
• Arthur — Arthur Weasley.
• Bertie — Bertie Bott.
• Charlie — Charlie Weasley.
• Dean — Dean Thomas.
• Felix — Felix Felicis.
• Fleur — Fleur Delacour.
• George — George Weasley.
• Gilly — Gillyweed.
• James — James Potter.
• Kingsley — Recognizable to fans but still a natural name.
• Lily — Harry’s mother.
• Luna — Potter fans know immediately, everyone else just hears a lovely name.
• Oliver — Oliver Wood.
• Percy — Percy Weasley.
• Regulus — A deeper Black-family reference.
• Remus — Recognizable without being obvious.
• Trevor — Neville’s toad.
• Willow — The Whomping Willow.

Should You Use a Character Name or Something More Subtle?

Either works.

If Harry Potter is a major part of your life, there’s nothing wrong with choosing Hermione, Hagrid, Dobby or Sirius and making the connection obvious.

But subtle names often age particularly well.

Luna, Lily, Arthur, Felix, Oliver, Remus, Ginny, Fleur and Willow all work perfectly well even if the person meeting your dog has never opened a Harry Potter book.

Then another fan hears the name.

They look at you.

You look at them.

They know.

Sometimes that’s more fun.

Can Dogs Learn Longer Names Like Hermione or Dumbledore?

Yes, but think about what you’ll actually say every day.

Long formal names naturally tend to acquire nicknames.

Hermione might become Mione.

Dumbledore might become Dumble.

Aberforth becomes Abe.

Xenophilius almost certainly becomes Xeno before you’ve made it through the first week.

There’s nothing wrong with giving your dog a ridiculous full name and using something shorter around the house.

In fact, there is something deeply satisfying about informing the veterinarian that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledog is here for his annual vaccination.

How to Choose the Right Name

Start with the dog rather than the fandom.

Look at size, personality, markings and whatever peculiar habits are beginning to emerge.

A huge gentle dog practically invites Hagrid.

A black dog makes Sirius, Padfoot and Nox especially clever.

An escape artist might earn Alohomora.

A puppy with enormous ears may already be Dobby, whether you intended it or not.

A dog who spends every waking moment chasing a ball?

Snitch.

A puppy who repeatedly crashes through the room and knocks things over?

Bludger.

And a dog who somehow knows you’re opening the cheese drawer from three rooms away?

Forget Hogwarts.

That animal already possesses magic.

What Is the Best Harry Potter Name for a Dog?

For us, it’s probably Padfoot.

The connection is authentic, clever and directly tied to Sirius Black’s dog form.

Sirius comes extremely close, particularly for a black dog.

Luna may be the easiest choice to live with.

Dobby is unbeatable for the right pair of ears.

Hagrid belongs on something enormous.

Snitch belongs on something fast.

Neville belongs on the puppy who hasn’t quite figured himself out yet.

And then there’s Fang.

Fang is a Chihuahua.

Fang weighs six pounds.

Fang is wearing a sweater because it’s chilly outside.

Fang has just barked furiously at a Great Dane from the safety of your arms.

The Great Dane walked away.

Fang considers the matter settled.

Maybe magic is real after all.