Golda is a Yiddish name meaning gold — and as a pet name, it works on two levels simultaneously. The color-and-material association is immediately useful for golden or yellow-coated animals, while the historical reference to Golda Meir gives the name a grounding in the life of someone who was, by any measure, genuinely formidable.
The Golden Layer
For golden-coated pets — Golden Retrievers most obviously, but also yellow Labrador Retrievers, amber-coated cats, and cream-colored dogs of any breed — Golda works as a color name with historical depth. It's more specific than Honey or Sunny, carries more weight than Goldie, and has a dignified quality that suits an animal who wears their coloring with evident self-satisfaction.
Golda Meir's Legacy
Israel's first and only female Prime Minister served from 1969 to 1974 and remains one of the most significant figures of 20th-century political history. Owners who choose the name in tribute are making a statement about what they value: competence, resilience, and no-nonsense directness. Those are excellent qualities to name an animal after.
Counter-Reading: Yiddish Specificity
Golda is a specifically Yiddish name with deep roots in Ashkenazi Jewish naming culture. For owners in that tradition, it's entirely natural. For others, choosing it as primarily a color name without the cultural context is fine but worth doing consciously. The name is warm and unambiguous in its meaning either way. See Golda as a human name and explore NamesPop.