200+ Sports-Themed Names for Dogs

Sports-inspired dog names are a fun way to celebrate your passion for athletics while naming your furry friend. From legendary figures such as Jordan to team-oriented picks such as Wrigley, these names come with charm, significance, and of course: fandom. Whether you’re honoring your favorite player, a beloved team, or a memorable sports moment, the world of athletics offers endless possibilities. 

These names not only reflect your interests but also create a meaningful connection between you and your pet. Whether playful, bold, or iconic, a sports-inspired name is a clever way to make your pup part of your winning team.

Baseball-themed dog names 

A classic American pastime is the perfect inspiration for your sporty pup’s name.

• Socks (Boston Red Sox)

• Rizzo (Anthony)

• Mickey (Mantle)

• Babe (Ruth)

• Ump (Umpire)

• Bunt (Batting technique)

• Cubbie (Chicago Cubs)

• Brave (Atlanta Braves)

• Jeter (Derek)

• Wrigley (Field)

• Rosin (The bag on the mound)

• Astro (Houston Astros)

• Doc/Roy (Halladay)

• Ranger (Texas Rangers)

• Slider (A pitch type)

• Maddux (Greg)

• Fielder (Game position)

• Dodger (Los Angeles Dodgers)

• Sandman (Mariano Rivera)

• Fenway (Park)

• Scooter (Baseball nickname)

• Jackie (Robinson)

• Ripken (Cal Ripken Jr.)

• Whiff  (When the batter swings and misses)

• Ohtani (Shohei)

• Peanut (The popular baseball snack)

• Tater (Slang for home run)

• Bonds (Barry)

• Gonzo (A hit on a fly ball)

• Homer (Short for home run)

Football-inspired dog names

Add a fun twist to your furry friend’s life while celebrating your love of the game with these cool football-inspired dog names.

• Eli (Manning)

• Buccaneer (Tampa Bay)

• Lombardi (Vince)

• Viking (Minnesota)

• Bronco (Denver)

• Deion (Sanders)

• Steeler (Pittsburgh)

• Boomer (Esiason)

• Brady (Tom)

• Tackle

• Mahomes (Patrick)

• J.J. (Watt)

• Raider (Las Vegas)

• Gronk (Rob)

• Saint (New Orleans)

• Montana (Joe)

• Jackson (Lamar)

• Huddle

• Bear (Chicago)

• Elway (John)

• Shula (Don)

• Cowboy (Dallas)

• Raven (Baltimore)

• Niner (San Francisco)

• Packer (Green Bay)

• Tebow (Tim)

• Madden (John)

• Big Ben (Roethlisberger)

Basketball-themed dog names

Try out one of these unique basketball-themed dog names to show off your dog’s personality and your enthusiasm for the game.

• Kobe (Bryant)

• Hoops

• Dray (Draymond Green)

• Alley-Oop

• Melo (Carmelo Anthony)

• Swish

• Layup (Close-range shot)

• Shaq (O’Neal)

• Spalding (Brand)

• Nets (Brooklyn)

• Wilt (Chamberlain)

• Jumper (Jump shot)

• Reggie (Miller)

• Knicks (New York)

• Curry (Stephen)

• Rim

• Rebound (or just Bounder)

• Miami (Heat)

• Wizard (Washington)

• Magic (Johnson)

• Coach

• Laker (Los Angeles)

• Nash (Steve)

• Buckets (Successful shot)

• King (Sacramento)

• Wade (Dwayne)

• Dribble

• Zeke (Isiah Thomas)

• Timberwolf (Minnesota)

• Pippen (Scottie)

Cute dog names related to sports

Cute names like these lend an energetic vibe, perfect for any athletic pup in training.

• Piggy (A cute reference to football)

• Birdie (Golf score)

• Sweetness (Walter Payton)

• Puck (Hockey)

• Bolt (Usain)

• Pepper (Pre-game baseball drill)

• Rocket (Rod Laver)

• Bogey (The golf score)

• Putter (A type of golf club)

• Champ

• Serena (Williams) 

• Dash (Houston)

• Ace (Like the perfect serve)

• Moose (Mark Massier)

• Slugger (Powerful batter)

• Tee (Golf)

• Simone (Biles)

• Caddy

• Striker

• Zammy (Zamboni)

• Court

• Speedy

• Zizou (Zinedine Zidane)

• Boots

• Sugar (Sugar Ray Leonard)

• Winger (A soccer position)

• Splash (Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson)

• Rookie

• Totti (Francesco)

Female dog names related to sports

Looking for the perfect sporty name for your energetic female dog? Show the world how charming and talented your pup is with these female sports-inspired dog names.

• Mia (Hamm)

• Danica (Patrick)

• Slalom (Ski course)

• Chelsea (Chelsea FC)

• Liberty (New York Liberty)

• Jinx (Midnight)

• Coco (Gauff)

• Megan (Rapinoe)

• Ivy (Ivy League)

• Lisa (Leslie)

• Love (A score of zero in tennis)

• Allyson (Felix)

• Katie (Ledecky)

• Icy (Hockey)

• Suni (Sunisa Lee)

• Babe (Didrikson Zaharias)

• Wimby (Wimbledon)

• Lindsey (Vonn)

• Copa (Copa América)

• Penny (Penny Boards)

• Gabby (Douglas)

• Marchie (March Madness)

• Augusta (National Golf Club)

• FloJo (Florence Griffith-Joyner)

• Prix (Grands Prix)

• Indy (Indianapolis 500)

• Carri (Sha’Carri Richardson)

• Steffi (Graf)

• Billie (Jean King)

• Goldie (Gold Medal)

Male dog names inspired by sports

Name your dog one of these male dog names inspired by sports to make sure he embodies the spirit of competition for years to come.

• Ali (Muhammad)

• Buzzer

• Pit (As in the pit crew of racing cars)

• Messi (Lionel)

• Juke (Evasion tactic)

• Pitch (The field of play)

• Phelps (Michael)

• Hustle

• Blade (Inspired by hockey skates)

• Pele (Pelé)

• Deuce (An even score, one from winning)

• Serve

• Ronaldo (Cristiano)

• Match

• Racket

• Tyson (Mike)

• Rink

• Catch

• Mbappé (Kylian)

• Tank (defensive maneuvers)

• Cross (a kind of pass)  

• Beckham (David)

• Draft

• Racer

Regional sports names 

Looking for a sports name that reflects a particular region or local team spirit? Show your local (or not-so-local) team pride with these regional sports names for dogs.

Los Angeles sports dog names

• Sparks — WNBA team

• Herbert — Justin Herbert of the Chargers

• Galaxy — MLS team

• LeBron — Lakers player Lebron James

• Blue — Rams, Clippers, and Chargers color

• Davis — Lakers’ Anthony Davis 

• Mookie — Mookie Betts of the Dodgers

New York sports dog names

• Pinstripe — Yankees’ iconic uniforms

• Penny — Penny Hardaway of the Knicks

• Jet — New York Jets

• Spike — Spike Lee, Knicks superfan

• Brooklyn — Brooklyn Nets

• Citi — Citi Field, home to the Mets

• Giant — New York Giants

Boston sports dog names

• Red — Boston Red Sox

• Bruin — Boston Bruins

• Lucky — The Celtics’ mascot

• Jules — Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots

• Bucky — Boston Bruins

• Tatum — Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics

• Greenie — Celtic’s color

Chicago sports dog names

• Bear — Chicago Bears

• Toews — Johnathon Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks

• Hawk — Blackhawks

• Buddy — Buddy Ryan, Chicago Bears defense coach

• Fire — Chicago Fire

• Basti — Bastian Schweinsteiger of the Chicago Fire

• Stan — Stanley Cup

Philadelphia sports dog names

• Swoop — The Eagle’s mascot

• Iverson — Allen Iverson of the 76ers

• Gritty — The Flyers’ mascot

• Bedoya — Alejandro Bedoya of Philadelphia Union

• Flyer — The Eagles’ chant

• Hurts — Jalen Hurts of the Eagles

• Sixer — Short for the 76ers

Miami sports dog names

• Shula — Don Shula, Dolphins coach

• Gator — University of Florida fans

• Tua — Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins

• Marlin — Miami Marlins

• Cane — University of Miami Hurricanes

• Burnie — Heat’s mascot

• Wade — Dwyane Wade of the Heat

Dallas sports dog names

• Star — Dallas Stars

• Luka — Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks

• Ice — The Dallas Stars

• Maverick — Or Mav for short

• Cuban — Mark Cuban, Mavericks owner

• Tony — Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys

• Mickey — Mickey Spagnola, Cowboys analyst

Washington, D.C. sports dog names

• Commander — Washington Commanders

• Freddy — The Falcon, the Nationals' mascot

• Cap — Washington Capitals

• Jack — The Bulldog, Georgetown University’s mascot

• Nat — Washington Nationals

• Harriet — The Eagle, D.C. United’s mascot

• Screecher — “Screech,” Nationals mascot

Atlanta sports dog names

• Chipper — Chipper Jones of the Braves

• Falco — Atlanta Falcons

• Tiko — Tiko Brown of the Hawks

• Spike — Falcons’ mascot

• Zaza — Zaza Pachulia of the Hawks

• Dawg — Georgia Bulldogs

• Matty — Matt Ryan of the Falcons

Detroit sports dog names

• Piston — Detroit Pistons

• Pudge — Pudge Rodriguez of the Tigers

• Lion — Detroit Lions

• Reggie — Reggie Jackson of the Tigers

• Tigers — Detroit Tigers

• Isaiah — Isaiah Thomas of the Pistons

• Sparky — Detroit Tigers mascot

International sports dog names

• Neymar — Neymar Jr., Brazilian soccer player

• Schu — Michael Schumacher, German race-car driver

• Luca — Luca Toni, Italian soccer player

• Ilya — Ilya Ilyin, Kazakhstani weightlifter

• Nino — Ronaldo Nazário, Brazilian striker

• Dimas — Pyrros Dimas, Greek weightlifter

• Federer — Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player

• Diego — Diego Maradona, Argentinian soccer player

• Leclerc — Charles Leclerc, Monaco race-car driver

• Aksel — Aksel Lund Svinda, Norwegian downhill racer

Commonly asked questions

What sport was named after a dog?

The name “pickleball” is said to have been inspired by a dog. The story goes that pickleball was named after a dog named Pickles, who belonged to one of the sport’s co-creators, Joel Pritchard. Pickles would chase after the ball during games.

What NFL team is named after a dog?

The Cleveland Browns are named after original coach and co-founder, Paul Brown. However the team’s mascot, “Brownie,” is sometimes depicted as a dog in mascot-related imagery. As recently as 2024, the Browns had a Bullmastiff mascot named Swagger Jr. who started his job when he was just a puppy.

What are the most popular dog breeds?

While mixed breed dogs are the most popular kind of dog, according to the American Kennel Club, the French Bulldog is the most popular purebred dog breed. You’ll see that almost all of the 10 most popular dog breeds are family-friendly, easy to take care of, and trainable.

What kind of dogs love sports?

Many breeds of dogs are agile and smart enough (sometimes too smart) to join you in the sport of your choice. The most popular active dog breed is the Siberian Husky. You might see this breed around your local sports leagues for a good reason. These pups are ready to entertain any athletic pursuits.

How can I encourage my dog to be active?

You can encourage a dog to be active or participate in new adventures by making these positive experiences and giving them time to adjust. If you have or want a puppy and you want to make sure they can be around your sports team (or play with you), make sure you follow our tips for raising a puppy.

References

“Cleveland Browns.” Clevelandbrowns.com, 2024, www.clevelandbrowns.com/fans/mascots. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

“The Dogs of College Football.” The Current, 12 Oct. 2021, nsucurrent.nova.edu/2021/10/12/the-dogs-of-college-football/. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

‌“History of the Game - USA Pickleball.” USA Pickleball - America’s Fasting Growing Sport, 27 June 2013, usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/.

Langston, Dan. “Why Is It Called Pickleball? How Did Pickleball Get Its Name?” Pickleballportal.com, 2 Feb. 2018, www.pickleballportal.com/blog/pickleball-name-origin. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.