Kanni Names, Black and Tan Sighthound Names

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The Kanni is a rare indigenous sighthound from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, in South India -- its home country lies around the villages of Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi. Its name carries a lovely double meaning: in Tamil, Kanni means 'pure', a nod to the breed's purity of heart and fierce loyalty, and it also means 'maiden' or 'unmarried girl'. That second sense is no accident -- a black-and-tan pup was traditionally given as a marriage gift, part of a bride's dowry, and over time the name of the gift became the name of the dog. An ancient coursing hound thought to blend native village dogs with Caravan Hound and Arabian Saluki stock, the Kanni is a close cousin of the Chippiparai and the Rajapalayam.

This is a lean, deep-chested gazehound built for the chase, capable of running down deer, hare and boar at speeds reported around sixty kilometres an hour. The name Kanni belongs specifically to the black-and-tan and black-and-sable dogs; the solid-coloured cousin from the same stock is registered separately as the Chippiparai. The coat is short, close and easy to keep, the frame tall and elegant, the whole dog made for sight and speed across open country.

In temperament the Kanni is reserved, devoted and one-family by nature -- affectionate with its own people, watchful and aloof with strangers, and a capable guard as well as a runner. Names can honour its black-and-tan coat, its blazing pace, its devoted heart, or its Tamil roots. A dark coat suits Onyx, Jet, Shadow, Raven, Ebony, and Midnight; the tan points wear Rusty, Copper, Honey, Tawny, and Goldie; the sprinter suits Dash, Bolt, Arrow, Comet, and Streak; its devotion is honoured by Angel, Priya, and Asha; and Raja, Veer, Arjun, Maya, and Tara nod to its South Indian home.

Explore our full collection of Kanni dog names below. Filter by gender, save your favourites, and find a name as pure, swift, and devoted as your Tamil sighthound.

All Male Female Unisex

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

#	Name	Meaning	Gender	Origin
1	Abba	Father	Female	Aramaic
2	Abby	English diminutive of Abigail, 'my father is joy'	Female	English from Hebrew
3	Abeni	We asked for this child, now she is ours	Female	African
4	Abiba	Child Born After Grandmother Died	Female	African
5	Abiona	Born during a trip	Female	African
6	Acacia	Point	Female	Greek
7	Acanit	Hard Times	Female	African
8	Ace	English word name associated with highest rank or excellence	Male	English
9	Achen	Twin	Female	African
10	Achilles	Lipless	Male	Greek
11	Adamma	Beautiful girl	Female	African
12	Ade	Peak, pinnacle, royal	Male	African
13	Adeben	The twelfth born	Male	African
14	Adele	Noble	Female	Germanic
15	Adeola	The crown has virtue and respect	Female	African
16	Adesina	She opens the way	Female	African
17	Adia	Being a gift	Female	African
18	Adolph	Noble wolf	Male	English
19	Adonia	My Lord is God	Female	Hebrew
20	Adonis	Lord	Male	Phoenician
21	Aero		Unisex
22	Afia	Given life on a Friday	Female	African
23	Aissa	Grateful	Female	African
24	Ajani	He fights for what is his	Male	African
25	Ajax	Mourner	Male	Greek
26	Ajayi	Born Face Down	Male	African
27	Akanke	Lovable at first meeting	Female	African
28	Akello	First child after twins	Male	African
29	Akira	Intelligent	Male	Japanese
30	Alake	One to be cuddled	Female	African
31	Alba	Scotland	Female	Gaelic
32	Albert	Noble and famous	Male	French
33	Alberta	Noble and famous	Female	French
34	Alex	Defending men	Unisex	Greek
35	Alexa	Defending men	Female	Greek
36	Alexander	Defending men	Male	Greek
37	Alfie	English diminutive of Alfred, elf counsel	Male	English from Old English
38	Alfred	Elf counsel	Male	English
39	Algernon	With a moustache	Male	French
40	Alice	Noble kind	Female	Germanic
41	Alike	Girl Who Drives Out Beautiful Women	Female	African
42	Allegra	Happy, jaunty	Female	Italian
43	Allie	Greatest. A Variant Of Allah - The Supreme Being In The Muslim Faith.	Female	English
44	Allison	Noble kind	Female	Germanic
45	Alma	Maiden	Female	Hebrew
46	Alpha	First letter of the Greek alphabet	Female	Greek
47	Amadi	Appeared destined to die at birth	Male	African
48	Amani	Desires	Unisex	Arabic
49	Amar	Making a home	Male	Arabic
50	Ambrose	Immortal	Female	Greek

1374 names found. Page 1 of 28.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Kanni mean?

In Tamil, Kanni means pure -- a nod to the breed loyalty and purity of heart -- and also maiden or unmarried girl. Black-and-tan pups were traditionally given as a marriage gift or part of a dowry, so the name of the gift became the name of the dog. Devoted picks like Angel, Priya, and Asha suit its faithful nature.

Is the Kanni the same as the Chippiparai?

They are very close cousins from the same South Indian sighthound stock. The name Kanni belongs to the black-and-tan and black-and-sable dogs, while the solid-coloured ones are registered as the Chippiparai. Both are swift coursing hounds from Tamil Nadu, akin to the Rajapalayam and the Mudhol Hound.

What names suit a Kanni?

A black-and-tan coat suits Onyx, Jet, Shadow, Raven, and Ebony, while the tan points wear Rusty, Copper, Honey, and Tawny. A swift coursing hound suits Dash, Bolt, Arrow, and Comet, and Indian picks like Raja, Veer, Arjun, and Tara honour its Tamil roots.