105 names

105 big dog names for gentle giants and large breeds

Big dogs take up space, and not just on the sofa. A Great Dane's tail can clear a coffee table in one wag, and a Saint Bernard leans on you like a friendly wall. They deserve a name with some size to it.

This list gathers names that sound large: big animals, giants from legend, famous mountains, dinosaurs, size words and names in other languages that mean giant. Each one has a short note, so you know exactly why it fits a dog who looks like a small pony. They suit breeds such as the Great Dane, the Newfoundland and the Saint Bernard.

If your big dog is a gentle soul, you may enjoy the contrast of a name that sounds fierce. If you want something calmer, gentle giant names such as Bear, Moose or Bernard work beautifully.

Big animals

Moose♂Largest member of the deer family
Elk♂Large, antlered deer
Bison♂Massive North American grazer
Buffalo♂Large horned grazer
Ox♂Powerful working animal
Rhino♂Massive horned herbivore
HippoHuge river animal
Walrus♂Giant tusked sea mammal
ElephantThe largest land animal
MammothExtinct woolly giant
MastodonExtinct elephant-like giant
Grizzly♂Large brown bear
Kodiak♂Giant brown bear of Alaska
Bear♂Large, strong and fuzzy
YakShaggy mountain ox
Giraffe♀The tallest animal
WhaleGiant of the sea
HumpbackLarge whale known for its song
Clydesdale♂Massive draft horse from Scotland
Percheron♂Strong French draft horse
ShireLarge English draft horse
ReindeerLarge northern deer
Tusker♂An elephant with long tusks
Bull♂Big, strong male animal
WildebeestLarge African antelope
AurochsExtinct giant wild cattle
GatorShort for alligator
AnacondaGiant South American snake

Giants of legend and lore

Goliath♂The giant of the Bible
Colossus♂A giant statue or person
Behemoth♂Huge beast from the Book of Job
Leviathan♂Giant sea monster in the Bible
Gargantua♂Giant in the French writer Rabelais's books
Pantagruel♂Gargantua's giant son in Rabelais's books
BrobdingnagLand of giants in Gulliver's Travels
Paul Bunyan♂Giant lumberjack of American folklore
Antaeus♂Greek giant wrestler strengthened by touching the earth
Cyclops♂One-eyed giant of Greek myth
Gulliver♂Jonathan Swift's traveler who meets giants and tiny people
Jumbo♂Famous 19th-century circus elephant
Quasimodo♂Victor Hugo's gentle bell-ringer
Bigfoot♂Legendary giant of the North American woods

Mountains and wide-open places

Everest♂The world's highest mountain
DenaliNorth America's tallest peak
Kilimanjaro♂Africa's highest mountain
Rainier♂Washington's glacier-covered volcano
Matterhorn♂Pyramid-shaped peak on the Swiss-Italian border
AlpsEurope's great mountain range
HimalayaThe world's highest mountain range
Rushmore♂South Dakota mountain carved with giant faces
Gibraltar♂The Rock of Gibraltar, a symbol of strength
StonehengeGiant standing stones of England
AconcaguaThe highest peak in the Americas
Elbrus♂The highest peak in the Caucasus
TetonJagged range in Wyoming
RockiesNorth America's great mountain range
AlaskaThe largest US state
SiberiaVast, cold region of Russia
YukonWild Canadian territory

Size words

HugeVery large
ColossalExtremely large
GiganticGiant
EnormousVery large indeed
MassiveLarge and heavy
MightyPowerful and large
MonsterA huge creature
ImmenseBeyond measure
GargantuanEnormous
ToweringVery tall
HeftyLarge and heavy
Burly♂Strong and heavily built
Brawny♂Muscular
Beefy♂Big and strong
Husky♂Strong and heavily built
ChunkA big piece
ChonkInternet slang for a big, round pet
ChunkyBig and solid
ThickBroad and sturdy
MegaPrefix meaning very large
HeavyweightBoxing's largest weight class
Lumberjack♂Big, strong woodcutter
FortressStrong, large building
SkyscraperVery tall building
BulwarkA strong defensive wall
MacroLarge-scale
MaxiThe opposite of mini
GigaPrefix for a billion
TeraPrefix for a trillion

Big in other languages

Gigante♂Spanish and Italian for giant
Géant♂French for giant
Riese♂German for giant
Yokozuna♂Highest rank in sumo wrestling
Sumo♂Large Japanese wrestler
Magnus♂Latin for great
Ivan♂Russian form of John
Gunther♂Germanic for bold warrior
Hans♂German form of John

Dinosaurs and ancient giants

T-Rex♂Tyrannosaurus rex, king of the dinosaurs
BrontosaurusGiant long-necked dinosaur
TriceratopsThree-horned dinosaur
StegosaurusPlated dinosaur
DiplodocusOne of the longest dinosaurs
AnkylosaurusArmored dinosaur with a club tail
MegalodonGiant extinct shark
MosasaurGiant prehistoric sea reptile

Tips for choosing

Big dogs get a lot of attention in public, so pick a name you will happily say a few hundred times at a trailhead. A friendly sound helps: Moose and Bear land warmer than Behemoth.

Think about the size of your dog as an adult, not just as a puppy. A tiny Great Dane pup called Teacup will grow into the joke quickly. Browse our giant dogs guide to see how large some breeds become.

For power names, see strong dog names. For tiny pups, see small dog names.

Frequently asked questions

What are good names for a big male dog?

Moose, Bear, Kodiak, Bison, Goliath, Jumbo, Magnus and Everest are popular. For a gentle-giant feel, try Clydesdale or Bernard.

What are good names for a big female dog?

Denali, Rainier, Hippo, Giraffe and Mammoth suit a tall, sturdy girl. Sequoia is another good pick for a big, gentle female.

What are funny names for a big dog?

Tiny, Peanut and Teacup are classic ironic names for a large dog. The names here include Chonk, Jumbo and Hippo for a gentle laugh.

Should I choose a big name for a puppy who will grow large?

It is fun to choose a name your puppy will grow into, but make sure it is also easy to say now. A name like Mammoth or Moose works well for both a puppy and a full-grown dog.