Dog Names That Start With V

A zippy, lively name that has never been popular, but has never completely disappeared. It is best known for writer and wit Gore Vidal, and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and his many products.

Vogue has been in rare use as a personal name, mostly since the last century. It doesn’t show up in current US data, but has been rising in the UK since 2013, influenced by Irish model Vogue Williams, whose grandmother suggested her name after an encounter with someone named Vogue.

Rare Spanish form of Valerius

Unusual Italian name for boys that relates both to the vividly stylish Viv names such as Vivienne and Viveca, and to the Italian musician Vivaldi.

Verlin is an obscure name that found some use in the US in the early part of the 20th century, but now it and variation Verlyn are extinct, given to no baby boys in the US last year.

Upbeat choice.

Feminine, à la Beryl and Merrill.

Charming Gallic name uncommon in France, and unknown in this country, with literary credibility as the title of a Charlotte Brontë novel.

Words work best as names when they're not a part of one's everyday vocabulary. Valor meets that criterion, and its associations with honor and bravery make it an appealing and virtuous choice.

A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it.

A winning unisex word name, fresher than Victoria or Victor.

Verde is an uncommon color name with a Latinate accent, perfect for a spring baby.

A pretty name with that fashionable V intitial, little known outside of Latvia.

One of the major American city names that's very unlikely to catch on as a baby name, although a small number of children are given the name each year.

A new one for the ever-growing collection of royal baby names.

A word that carries a broad range of connotations across Europe, all of which ultimately derive from the Roman term for a country estate. Villa is well established as a surname, especially in Spanish-speaking countries, and has also occasionally been used as a first name for girls.

A name commonly used in India; Vasant Panchami is a Hindu festival dedicated to the goddess of learning.

Verda was a fairly popular girls' name in the US from the 1880s through the 1920s, when it started to slip, finally dropping from sight after World War II.

An energetic Spanish surname with serious first name potential, thanks to its trendy initial V and -o ending. A famous bearer is Spanish surrealist artist Remedios Varo (1908-1963).