500+ of the Best German Shepherd Names

Last Updated on August 29th, 2019

Bringing home your German Shepherd puppy is one of the most exciting parts of dog ownership. But what are you going to call them?

German Shepherds can live up to 13 years, so whatever you decide to call them, they’re going to be around for a while. Because of that, you’ll want to take plenty of time when naming them.

Here are some do’s and don’ts of naming dogs:

Don’t name based on current trends.
Do keep it short and simple.
Don’t make it something embarrassing to have to yell out.
Don’t give a name based on negative personality traits.

I also personally recommend keeping it interesting and providing a unique name for your puppy. It doesn’t have to be as out-there as King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, but it also doesn’t have to be as common as Max.

Most Popular German Shepherd Names

If you want to avoid giving your German Shepherd a name that could cause some confusion at the dog park, these are the names to stay away from. These are the top 10 most popular German Shepherd names by gender.

Top 10 Male German Shepherd Names

Max
Bear
Buddy
Duke
Rocky
Jake
Shadow
Zeus
Jack
Rex

Top 10 Female German Shepherd Names

Ladie
Sadie
Sasha
Sheeba
Bella
Heidi
Princess
Maggie
Molly
Daisy

Less Common German Shepherd Names by Gender

These names are general pet names that would work for males, females, or either gender. They’re more common than some of the other names further down on this list, but aren’t at the very top of the popularity chart, either.

Names for Males

Adonis
Alamo
Axel
Bandit
Bingo
Bo
Boomer
Buck
Butch
Cerberus
Chief
Charlie
Cleo
Cosmo
Curly
Dante
Dino
Draco
Falcon
Hamlet
Jax
Levi
Major
Marmaduke
Maverick
Mister
Murdoch
Neo
Oscar
Otis
Pal
Phoenix
Pirate
Pluto
Porter
Prince
Puck
Rascal
Rebel
Ringo
Rover
Sarge
Scooter
Shane
Simon
Sinbad
Sirius
Skipper
Spike
Tex
Zane
Zeke

Names for Females

Aloha
Ambrosia
Annabelle
Ariel
Aster
Barbie
Blossom
Calamity
Chloe
Clarabelle
Clementine
Countess
Daffodil
Dancer
Dixie
Dora
Duchess
Empress
Felicity
Fern
Flicka
Flower
Freya
Gem
Gigi
Gypsy
Harmony
Iris
Ishtar
Jasmine
Layla
Lulu
Madame
Majesty
Melody
Mimi
Missy
Muffy
Pandora
Peony
Petunia
Piper
Princess
Queenie
Rosemary
Rosie
Roz
Serendipity
Serenity
Sheba
Sissy
Star
Summer
Treasure
Trixie
Venus
Wildfire
Willow
Zephyr

Unisex Names

Allegro
Avalanche
Avalon
Bailey
Biko
Bits
Blitzen
Boo
Bootsie
Bug
Camelot
Cassidy
Chaos
Clover
Corona
Cricket
Dreamer
Echo
Einstein
Eskimo
Eureka
Fedora
Fiesta
Froggy
Gargoyle
Gatsby
Hershey
Hickory
Freckles
Friday
Indigo
Java
Kid
Koko
Liberty
Lucky
Marble
Mayhem
Moonshine
Mystic
Nova
Nugget
Odyssey
Palomino
Perry
Pharaoh
Pudge
Pumpkin
Rain
Remington
Rhapsody
Ricochet
Sam
Sandy
Scruffy
September
Snickers
Socks
Solstice
Splash
Tango
Taz
Tonka
Tuesday
Utopia
Windsor
Zoom

German Shepherd Names Based on Color

If you have a Black German Shepherd or else a white one, why not celebrate that uniqueness with one of these color names? What’s great about most of these names is that most work for both male and females.

Black German Shepherd Names

Beauty
Black Jack
Blackberry
Carbon
Coal/Cole
Cricket
Domino
Ebony
Eclipse
Eightball
Inky
Jet
Kettle
Layla
Licorice
Mamba
Merlin
Midnight
Mora
Nightmare
Panther
Pepper
Phantom
Raven
Reaper
Sable
Silhouette
Spade
Storm
Vader
Velvet
Viper
Vlad
Widow
Zukua

White German Shepherd Names

Alabaster
Alaska
Angel
Arctic
Blanco
Blizzard
Casper
Cloud
Coral
Crystal
Dove
Frosty
Glow
Halo
Ice
Ivory
Jewel
Lacy
Lightning
Lilly
Luna
Magnolia
Marshmallow
Mayo
Moonshine
Opal
Pearl
Polar
Polaris
Popcorn
Seraphim
Shiver
Sky
Snow
Star
Sugar
Tundra
Vanilla
Winter
Zero

Other Color Names for German Shepherds

Amber
Azure
Blaze
Blue
Brownie
Buttercup
Butterscotch
Caramel
Checkers
Cobalt
Cocoa
Copper
Dotty
Dusty
Foxy
Freckles
Kodiak
Lava
Maple
Misty
Nacho
Othello
Oreo
Patches
Penny
Red
Ruby
Scorch
Sandy
Scarlet
Sepia
Sienna
Skittles
Smokey
Spot
Sunny
Teddy
Tigger
Whiskey
Woody

German Shepherd Names by Origin

Maybe you love Japanese culture or want to honor the Germanic origins of the breed. Either way, here are some German Shepherd names from all over the world.

Spanish Names

Adelina
Alba
Alberto
Alegria
Alita
Amigo
Amor
Barto
Belleza
Benito/Benita
Bonito/Bonita
Carmita
Carmelo
Castro
Charo
Chiquito/Chiquita
Concha
Cortez
Dali
Diego
Domingo/Dominga
Enchilada
Fabio
Flor
Gordo/Gorda
Hugo
Isabel
Julio
Leon
Lobo
Magellan
Navidad
Octavia
Oro
Oso/Osa
Paloma
Pancho
Poco
Raton
Reina
Rosa
Santiago
Savannah
Valentina
Vito
Zaida

Indian Names

Akash
Alok
Amir
Bandar
Bari
Batuk
Beta
Kumar
Lamba
Mani
Nirav
Raja
Sumit
Tej
Yogi

Native American Names

Ama
Dakota
Denali
Geronimo
Hiawatha
Honi
Kai
Kanti
Kasa
Kaya
Kele
Kitchi
Koko
Kohana
Kuruk
Lulu
Maka
Makwa
Mansi
Micco
Miki
Miwak
Maikoh
Mona
Nikan
Nina
Nova
Onida
Pavita
Sequoiah
Squanto
Takoda
Tala
Tallulah
Tiva
Wakanda
Winona

African Names

Ane
Aza
Bika
Chebe
Domme
Duma
Emi
Goni
Kaabo
Kafi
Kanzi
Lomo
Minzi
Moja
Nata
Obi
Okaka
Roho
Siti
Sudi
Tezi
Tita

Japanese Names

Aki
Akio
Akira
Arata
Haru
Haru
Haruko
Haruna
Haruto
Hibiki
Hinata
Hiro
Hiroki
Hitomi
Hitoshi
Jiro
Kaito
Katashi
Kazuko
Kenji
Kenta
Kiko
Kyo
Kyoko
Mai
Maki
Makoto
Mana
Masa
Masaki
Masaru
Michi
Mieko
Momoka
Nanami
Nao
Naomi
Nori
Red
Riku
Rikuto
Rina
Ryo
Sakura
Shiro
Sora
Tadashi
Takahiro
Takashi
Takumi
Taro
Toshio
Yoshi
Yuka

Hawaiian Names

Akua
Alamea
Alemana
Alii
Amoka
Haimi
Hanai
Hekili
Hula
Ilio
Inoki
Ipo
Kahua
Kai
Kekoa
Kika
Kiko
Kikokiko
Kio
Koa
Lani
Luana
Lupo
Malo
Makani
Mako
Malia
Mana
Mano
Meli
Moana
Moho
Nahoa
Nalani
Nalu
Nani
Olulu
Piki
Pilikea
Polua
Ula

German Names

Ada
Adolph
Aldo
Alger
Alvin
Anka
August
Ava
Baldwin
Bach
Baron
Beatrix
Bernadette
Britta
Bruno
Klaus
Dirk
Ella
Emmet
Felix
Franz
Fritz
Gertrude
Gretchen
Greta
Gunther
Hansel
Heidi
Heinz
Helga
Hilda
Johann
Kaiser
Leonard
Liesel
Marta
Millie
Mischa
Otto
Rolf
Schwartz
Siegfried
Stein
Trudy
Ulf
Waldo
Wanda
Wolfgang
Zelda

Other Lists of German Shepherd Names

Here are a few more categories that you can use to choose your German Shepherd puppy’s name!

Police Dogs Names

Ace
Arrow
Badger
Baxter
Blazer
Bones
Boris
Buck
Buster
Caesar
Charger
Colonel
Colt
Deringer
Diesel
Gator
Hawk
Hunter
Indy
Justice
Kimbo
Lucky
Magnum
Pistol
Ranger
Remington
Rhodes
Rocket
Rocky
Rusty
Scout
Taz
Trooper
Wesson
Zipper

Names from Movies and TV Shows

Aragorn
Astro
Atticus
Balto
Beethoven
Belle
Blondie
Bluto
Bolt
Boomer
Chance
Darwin
Django
Dude
Falcor
Ferris
Gizmo
Groucho
Juno
Kane
Marley
Marv
Maverick
Milo
Morpheus
Murph
Napoleon
Neo
Norman
Odie
Rin Tin Tin
Shakespeare
Sherlock
Sylvester
Tramp
Trinity
Twister
Vito
Voyager
White Fang
Yoda

Names for Long-Haired German Shepherds

Aries
Boots
Cashmere
Chester
Darcy
Dexter
Dutchess
Earl Grey
Esmeralda
Fuzz
Goldie
Grace
Guinness
Harley
Hope
Jazz
Lola
Lucas
Mimi
Monty
Muppet
Oliver
Oscar
Penelope
Romeo
Ruffles
Scruffy
Sully
Taz
Trixie
Winston
Ziggy

Heroic Dog Names

Achilles
Apollo
Artemis
Athena
Atlas
Aurora
Black Widow
Brutus
Byron
Captain
Crockett
Drax
Gambit
Gamora
Goliath
Hawkeye
Hector
Helen
Hercules
Iris
Julius
Jupiter
Logan
Midas
Minerva
Nightcrawler
Odin
Olympus
Patton
Perseus
Rhea
Saturn
Star Lord
Solomon
Triton
Thor
Titan
Venus
Xerxes

Place Names for German Shepherds

Aspen
Avalon
Brooklyn
Carson
Charlotte
Cheyenne
Dallas
Denver
Derby
Dublin
Kona
London
Paris
Phoenix
Savannah
Sparta
Sydney
Vegas

Food Dog Names

Basil
Biscuit
Candy
Caramel
Chip
Cherry
Cinnamon
Colby
Cookie
Ginger
Hazel
Honey
Meatball
Moxie
Nacho
Nutmeg
Oreo
Peanut
Pistachio
Poppy
Pumpkin
Sushi
Tootsie

Names for Pairs of German Shepherds

Abbott and Costello
Adam and Eve
Antony and Cleopatra
Athena and Zeus
Bart and Lisa
Batman and Robin
Ben and Jerry
Bert and Ernie
Bonnie and Clyde
Buzz and Woody
Cain and Abel
Casper and Wendy
Charles and Diana
Cinnamon and Sugar
Dharma and Greg
Donald and Daisy
Dora and Boots
Ebony and Ivory
Fire and Ice
Fred and Ethel
Fred and Wilma
Hansel and Gretel
Harry and Lloyd
Harry and Sally
Homer and Marge
Jack and Jill
Jasmine and Aladdin
Jekyll and Hyde
Kirk and Spock
Laurel and Hardy
Lewis and Clark
Lilo and Stitch
Lucy and Ricky
Mario and Luigi
Marshall and Lily
Mojo and Jojo
Moon and Sun
Oberon and Titania
Olive and Popeye
Rachel and Ross
Romeo and Juliet
Salt and Pepper
Starsky and Hutch
Tarzan and Jane
Yin and Yang
Yogi and Boo-Boo
Will and Grace

Choosing the Perfect German Shepherd Name

Hopefully, by now you’ve found a name that’s perfect for your German Shepherd puppy. If not, I hope that something on our list sparked an idea that led to a name.

I would love to hear more suggestions for German Shepherd names, so comment any names you think we missed below. I’d also love to hear what your German Shepherd is named, so tell me all about your dog and the story behind their name!