Caribbean dog names bring back the fun of a tropical vacation every time you call your dog! Below you’ll find names for Caribbean locales, Caribbean food and drink, reggae music and more.
As our regular readers know, before we were pet writers, we were travel writers. We specialized in guidebooks to the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, and we were lucky enough to travel to the region every few weeks for research trips. (Yes, it was a tough job but someone had to do it…)
We’ve used several of these Caribbean names in our own family: Irie, Tiki, Isla, Ochi and Coco!
Caribbean Nature
- Bamboo
- Cay — Another word for Key.
- Conch – You’re probably familiar with this mollusk because of its shell: a beautiful pink curl nearly a foot long that, when blown by those in the know, can produce a whistle. The shell covers a huge piece of white meat with a rubbery texture, as well as a “foot,” the appendage used by the conch to drag itself along the ocean floor in search of food.
- Coco
- Coqui – Small frogs native to Puerto Rico; the name is derived from the loud and distinctive call which males make at night, which sounds like “ko-kee.”
- Coral
- Grouper
- Poinciana
- Shark (don’t miss our post on other shark-inspired names for dogs)
- Zenaida — A large dove with pinkish brown coloration with a white streak on its tail feathers and frequently travels in pairs, feeding on the ground. In flight, the Zenaida dove emits a unique whistle, caused by air rushing around its wings.
Caribbean Culture
- Anancy — A Jamaican folk character (a spider) who tricks people to get what he wants.
- Atlantis
- BeeWee — The local nickname of the former BWIA West Indies Airways.
- Bredda — A Jamaican Patois term that refers colloquially to a brother, often used to mean a close male friend or comrade.
- Carib
- Carnival
- Day O — Now you’ve got “The Banana Boat Song” playing in your head, right?
- Duppy — ghost
- Firefly — Noel Coward’s Jamaica estate
- Goldeneye — Ian Fleming’s Jamaica estate and a fun name for a dog with gold eyes
- Irie — all’s well, good
- Jump Up — No, you might not want your dog to jump up but this term refers to street festivals and carnivals.
- Junkanoo — A Bahamian celebration held on Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and some summer Saturdays known especially known for its whistles and cowbells.
- Limin’ — Socializing or relaxing, especially while enjoying food and drink in good company.
- Marley
- Playa — Beach.
- Piton — Gros Piton and Petit Piton, located in Saint Lucia and a symbol of the island.
- Tortuga — The Spanish word for “turtle” and is also the name of an island in the Caribbean that is part of Haiti.
- Wadadli — A local name for Antigua.
Reggae Dog Names
Reggae has a philosophy, you know? It’s not just entertainment. There’s an idea behind it, a way of life behind the music, which is a positive way of life, which is a progressive way of life for better people.
Ziggy Marley
- Bam-Bam: The song “Bam-Bam” by Sister Nancy is often cited among reggae’s best.
- Boombastic: Do you have talkative puppy? “Mr. Boombastic” by Shaggy might just be the moniker for him.
- Bunny: Bunny Wailer, one of The Wailers
- Dobby: Dobby Dobson
- Jimmy: If your new puppy has “Many Rivers to Cross,” Jimmy Cliff’s first name might be a good choice.
- Marley: Bob Marley, the king of reggae. This reggae dog name became popular due to John Grogan’s Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.
- Reggae
- Shaggy
- Sizzla
- Toots: Toots and the Maytals first sang “”Do the Reggay” in 1968, considered to be the first use of the term reggae.
- Tosh: Peter Tosh, one of The Wailers
- Wailer: Perfect for a howling dog, The Wailers was formed by Bob Marley in 1963 with fellow Jamaicans Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
- Ziggy: Ziggy Marley
Beach Dog Names
These tropical dog names are a good fit for sandy dogs everywhere!
- Concha
- Isla
- Palma
- Playa
- Puerta
- Salty
- Salty Dog
- Sandals
- Sandy
- Scuba
- Snorkel
- Tiki
Names Related to Caribbean Food
- Ackee — Ackee is a small fruit when cooked resembles (and tastes) much like scrambled eggs.
- Bammy — A traditional Jamaican flatbread.
- Banana
- Bulla — A traditional Jamaican round, rich cake or bread-like pastry, often spiced with ginger and nutmeg.
- Callaloo – This leafy vegetable resembles spinach and is used similarly. Don’t miss the callaloo soup, usually spiced up with saltfish. The vegetable originally comes from India, but is seen throughout the Caribbean these days.
- Cashew
- Chocho – This member of the squash family is known as chayote or christophene on some islands. It can be served boiled or used in dishes.
- CouCou — a cornmeal and okra dish
- Curry
- Festival — This bread is frequently served with jerk and is similar to hush puppies.
- Fungi — (pronounced foon-gee), a tasty accompaniment that’s somewhat like cornbread dressing
- Ginger
- Guava – This small green fruit is used in many Caribbean desserts, such as ice cream, fruit sauces, jellies and more. Usually the fruit has been blended to eliminate dealing with its many seeds.
- Guinep – This small green fruit looks somewhat like a small lime. To eat one, pop the flesh out from the skin and suck on it (don’t eat the seed). Young boys often sell guineps by the side of the road.
- Mammee – The Mammee Apple is an unusual fruit that can be tough to find in the markets. Eaten raw or used as a filling, the mammee apple has the taste of a mango and peach combined.
- Mango
- Mauby — A drink (sometimes carbonated) made from the bark of the Colubrina genus tree.
- Patty — a turnover filled with spicy meat
- Pawpaw — Jamaicans call the papaya a pawpaw and the product of the exotic-looking papaya tree (tall as a coconut with wide leaves similar to a fig) is found in desserts, juices, and other menu items.
- Pimento –known in the US as allspice
- Pumpkin – Unlike our sweet pumpkin, this West Indian pumpkin is a small, nonsweet vegetable that is used like an acorn squash.
- Roti — a burrito-like fast food that traces its roots to India
- Sorrel – If you visit a Jamaican home or office during the Christmas season, expect to be served this wonderful drink that can be presented with or without alcohol. It is made from sorrel petals, the Hibiscus sabdariffa, an annually blooming plant that matures in December.
- Tamarind
- Ting – The Jamaican soft drink.
- Toto (no, not THAT Toto; this is a small coconut cake served in Jamaica)
Ahoy–don’t miss our post on Pirate Dog Names!
Beer- and Alcohol-Inspired Caribbean Dog Names
- Appleton
- Bacardi
- Banks
- Carib
- Cruzan
- Don Q
- Kabuli
- Kalik
- Malibu
- Mojito
- Myer
- Presidente
- Pusser
- Red Stripe
- Tia Maria
Names Inspired by Islands and Cities
- Abaco
- Andros
- Anguilla
- Antigua
- Antilles
- Aruba
- Bahama
- Barbuda
- Bimini
- BVI
- Caicos
- Cayman (or should that be K-Man?)
- Croix
- Cuba
- Dominica
- DR
- Grenada
- Haiti
- Indies
- Jamaica
- Jost
- Juan
- Kitts
- Leeward
- Lucea
- Lucia
- Mona
- Montego
- Nassau
- Nevis
- Ochi — nickname of Ocho Rios, Jamaica
- Porty — nickname of Port Antonio, Jamaica
- Rico
- Thomas
- Tobago
- Tortola
- Trini
- Vincent
More Caribbean Music
- Calypso
- Mento – Today many resort visitors are greeted in hotel lobbies by three- and four-man mento bands who play island tunes to incoming guests. Mento bands usually include a banjo player, a performer shaking maracas, and a rumba box player.
- Reggae
- Rumba – A rumba box is a homemade thumb piano; the player sits on the wooden box and thumps metal strips which, through a circular hole in the box, reverberate and give the music its distinctive beat.
- Ska – In the late 1950s, mento evolved into ska, a sound that emphasized guitar strings strummed on the upbeat, rather than the downbeat.
- Soca
- Zouk
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Paris Permenter is the award-winning co-author, with John Bigley, of over 30 pet and travel books including The Healthy Hound Cookbook and Texas with Dogs, both available through Simon and Schuster. Paris is also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America.
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