McNab Names, McNab Shepherd Dog Names

The McNab -- also called the McNab Shepherd or McNab Collie -- is a sleek, clever herding dog born on the ranches of northern California yet Scottish to the bone. Its story begins with Alexander McNab, a Scotsman who settled in Mendocino County in 1866 to raise sheep and quickly found the local dogs unequal to the work he needed done.

McNab had carried a Scotch Collie named Flora from the old country, and when she died his ranch struggled so badly without her that he sailed back to Scotland for more. In 1885 he returned with two more Scotch Collies and crossed them with local dogs of Basque and English stock, building a line that could head, heel and drive in equal measure. He favoured the smoother coat for the hot, dry California climate, and over the years folded in still more Scottish blood. The dogs settled into a distinctive look: a black coat with a white ruff, a white-tipped tail, and often a narrow white blaze running between the eyes that fanciers call a Bentley stripe.

After Alexander died in 1901 his son carried on the breeding, and to this day the McNab is treated locally as a breed of its own, though no major registry recognises it and it keeps no formal standard. It is a medium, athletic, intensely intelligent dog, often a touch softer and more biddable than the Border Collie it resembles, devoted to its family and happiest with a job to do. Names can honour its Scottish roots, its herding craft, its California home, or that handsome black-and-white coat. Scottish heritage suits Angus, Hamish, Flora, Bonnie, Glen, Skye, Duncan and Fergus; the herding tradition wears Scout, Tess, Meg, Jess, Nell, Moss and Roy; its California ranch home suits Cali, Sierra and Sage; and its markings suit Domino, Bandit, Star and Blaze.

Explore our full collection of McNab and McNab Shepherd names below. Filter by gender, save your favourites, and find a name as clever, hardy, and devoted as the little Scotch-bred herder of the California hills.