Why get a unique girl dog name?
Getting a pet is a major decision, right? Think again, it’s all about choosing the name you bestow upon your dog because it will represent them for life. Long gone are the days when dog names were confined to Rex, Rover or Bud. The common dog name era is over. Want proof? We were at BarkWorld2016 Expo a few weeks ago and we met up with chihuahuas named: Bruce Wayne and Phipps. Still need more proof? The most googled searches are: popular dog names, funny dog names, and Indian dog names. (Who knew?) In 2016 we give our pets more sophistication and personality when it comes to naming them.
We first met our baby on a rainy Saturday afternoon, April 26th, 2014 at 3:30pm. We decided to immediately bring her home 15 minutes after meeting her. But we hit our first problem before we even left the pet shop, she needed a name, but which one? We bought all the necessary equipment: playpen, dog bag, wee-wee pads, toys, food, and a crate. We took a cab ride home with everything in the trunk except our new puppy who was scared in her bag–but not as terrified as us.

She was tiny and got lost inside the bag but she’d pop her head out every once in a while when we’d hit a bump. Wanting to come up with a name before we got to Brooklyn, I posted on social media that we were looking for suggestions. We got a few common girl dog names like Princess, but it just didn’t feel right for her or us. As we got closer to the Brooklyn Bridge, we hit a large pothole and she popped her head out once more. As I looked at her and what looked like lion mane fluffing out of the bag–it hit me, so I asked German what the Spanish word for a girl lion was and he said, leona.
HOW TO GROOM YOUR SHIHTZU AT HOME
Later we discovered that the Shih Tzu originated from China and the word Shih Tzu actually means lion dog. For us, Leona was the perfect name. If you’re looking to name your next BFF, here are of a few of Leona’s female friends who have amazing names and fantastic personalities.
Who needs a dog name generator when you have a comprehensive list with the puppies Instagram accounts below.
21 Unique Dog Female Names for Your Shih Tzu
1. Leona
2 Milly
3. Munchkin
4. Honey Tam
5. Zoey
6. Sparkles
7. Coco
8. Bijou
9. Chica
10. Tallulah
11. Akasha
12. Kali
13. Abigail
14. Taylor
15. NeeNee
16. Ceili
17. & 18. Muffin and Eclair
19. Annabelle
20. Maddie
21. Beausy
There are other unique names out there. Which ones did I miss? What’s your puppy’s name? Don’t forget to read 21 unique boy names for Shih Tzus. Leave a comment and let’s discuss.

YAY!! Beautiful names! Thanks for including Akasha, the love of my life! I was so nervous too. Akasha is my first pup. Looking forward to meeting IRL 🙂
We were so nervous and Leona was so quiet on the first day — I told my husband, “I think we got a depressed dog!”
But by the next day — she was playing and giving us love! Our pups are the best!
Lmfao when we got cupid. Nobody wanted her but me. She was in her cage at puppy city with her sister.When I put my hand in the cage. She moved towards the back. Her sister was fiend to be bought. So my mom was like ugh, don’t get her. When we brought her home, she looked at us like we were murderers. Then surprisingly she only followed me around the house every where. We found out on her birth certificate she was born February. So cupid was her name. None the less she was so loving. Now she just loved food. I should have name her hamburger or something.
The 2nd shih tzu we owned was my bf dog, we named her Orie. We named her after a Police Officer (oddly) just because she looked like a oreo. The cop was a Oreo too, white on the outside, with a african american soul on the inside.
This is fantastic — I’m planning on doing a future blogpost on the origin of “how I got my name” – would you mind me including your story?
Ginger is my girl and she looks like Munchkin!
Bogey is my boy and he’s all black with a white heart on his chest. No kidding!
Wow – you’re very own munchkin twin! Would love to se pics! And thanks for visiting!
I have a Levi, Merlin, Zeke and Jesse
So many pups! I’d love to see pics of all of them!
We totally agree! So many cute shih tzus on Instagram, and we are so glad that Leona is our furriend 💝 Love you guys and all the girls on the list 😘
Love your snaps in the AM! Keep them coming. And we have to schedule a playdate with the girls and meet up!
Let us know if you’re ever in the city–we will plan it for sure.
We had Cassidy Rae and our baby boy shih-tzu is Wyle Coyote!
I love those names! Research told me that the common dog name era is 100% over! This proves it. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Omg!!! Loved the blog!! Thank you so much for including us with all these other amazing and beautiful diva doggies!!!!!!
Of course! Anytime! Thank you for allowing us to post. And thanks for commenting!
Some of our absolute favorites on this list! Fantastic group!
Love, @Izzy Fo Shizzie (she’s a big snoop dog fan 😜)
I heart that name! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank you for including my Bijou in your list. I originally heard the name when I was just 12 years old. One of my all tim favorite bands, Queen has a song called “Bijou”. The name always stuck with me. The word is French for a small trinket or jewelry set with gems. Perfect name for my girl.
Of course! We heart Bijou and would you mind me sharing that story on a later post?
It will be a “How we got our names post” in the future.
Aww I love this blog! The pics are so cute and I love the comments! Abigail was already Abigail (picked by the RESCUE). Even though I sometimes write Abi
For short I never call her that. She wouldn’t allow that. 😐
We call Leona so many things — and it’s strange, it’s only Leona when she’s in trouble! lol
How about Lois!?!? (As in Family Guy, not Lane) @little_ladylois
Oh 100%! Yaaaas!
Our Trinket got her name from the trip home, too. We traveled from Memphis to mid FL to pick her up because she shared a birthday with our boy Logan. On the way back, I told my husband we should stop and pick up a souvenir. He is hard of hearing so asked, “what is that?” I answered “a souvenir, like a little trinket” then looked back into the back seat and said “OH, I guess we already did.” And that’s been her name since. When she is being even more affectionate than usual (can that actually happen?) she is also called “Mommy’s Little Sweetness”
That is the cutest story ever! I’d like to see little Tinket!
Wow, Nando, I never thought Instagram could be a source of dog names. Nice post!