Mischief is guaranteed with Loki, a Norse name for a boy dog borrowed from a trickster god, made for the household escape artist. Tough and playful in two syllables, it suits a clever boy who opens what should stay shut, vanishes at bath time, and looks entirely innocent while standing right beside the evidence.
Owners with patience and a sense of humour will thrive with this choice, and it fits a smart, slippery boy whose tricks keep everyone alert, amused, and slightly outwitted at home. Few names wear their idea as openly as this one. Its Norse background is written all over it, from the first letter to the last. We file it among the tough names, which fits its feel of being strong backed and confident, with real weight in a few letters. It is one of 22 names in this collection beginning with L, and one of the more distinctive of that set.
Think of the name at full volume, from the far end of the garden. Said in two beats, Loki has enough length to sound affectionate and enough brevity to stay sharp. At 4 letters long, it is easy to write, easy to read and hard to muddle with another name. Try it at the back door in your normal voice, then at park volume, before you settle on it.
It will not suit every household, and that is fine. Owners choose a tough name to match muscle, attitude, or pure comic contrast, and all three are respectable reasons. Boy dogs are its home ground in this collection, though the name itself would not object to a girl. When it is right, the name stops sounding chosen and starts sounding inevitable.
Every name in the collection that begins with the letter L.
Every tough name in the collection, Loki included.
The whole collection on one page, every name linked to its own page.
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The name comes from Norse roots. In our notes it is summed up as follows: The trickster god; for the escape artist. Read that line and you have the spirit of the name.
Boy dogs wear Loki most often. It is listed as a boy's name here, with the tough feel that goes with it.
In speech it takes two syllables; in writing, 4 letters. Most owners find two syllables the natural unit of dog calling, and this name is exactly that.