Nana

Nana is used in many languages to mean 'grandmother' or a term of endearment for an older female relative, from reduplication of the childlike syllable 'na.' In Japanese it can also be written as 七 meaning 'seven' or 菜 meaning 'vegetable greens.' The name became famous as the Darling family's devoted dog-nanny in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.

Nana is a name saturated with warmth and literary history. J.M. Barrie's Nana — the large, devoted Newfoundland dog who acts as nursemaid to the Darling children in Peter Pan — is one of the most purely affectionate animal characters in all of fiction, which makes the name an ideal choice for calm, nurturing female dogs who seem to have been born to watch over their people. It suits large, gentle breeds particularly well: a Newfoundland or Saint Bernard named Nana arrives with a story already attached.