I love guessing how dogs get their names. Sometimes the name comes from something simple like marking. Think Patch or Spot. But other times the dog’s name reveals more. So what secrets are in your dog’s name?
Coming up . . .
The naming struggle
I’ll start with a few examples close to home. More often than not I struggle to find a name that I think will suit my dogs. There are so many factors to consider when selecting the right name for the right dog. How will you feel when shouting it in the park? What was a great joke at home may turn into an embarrassing moniker in the park. A Friends fan might think it amusing to call a dog Smelly Cat, but to shout that across a public area isn’t quite as funny.
If you have multiple dogs, it’s useful to ensure each name has it’s own distinctive sound. Dogs with similar names could get confused. The common thinking was that the end of the names should sound different. So Brandy and Sandy should be avoided. But I have found that the start of the names is just as important. It took my dog Ella quite some time to realise I was calling Ettie and not her. I won’t make that mistake again.
Naming criteria
How do you choose the right name? Do you choose by looks, e.g. Goldie? Or by personality, Happy? Or maybe your dog came with a name. In general I don’t think changing the dog’s name to something you prefer is a big deal. For example I changed Elsa to Ella. She was handed in as a stray and so had only been called Elsa for a matter of days and had very little attachment to it. But even those with long standing names are likely to have been called more than one name. Nicknames, or shortening the name, means that more often than not dogs learn to associate themselves with more than one title.
Save the name
But in cases where the dog has been known as the same name for many years, especially senior dogs, I believe that keeping the name helps give some sense of continuity. When I worked in rescue some of the saddest situations were when a senior dog came to us because the person they had lived with for their whole lives had died. Their lives were turned upside down. Keeping the name was about keeping something from their previous life. They know what it means, that it belongs to them even when they have lost their home, their family.
Elsa
I mentioned that Ella was called Elsa. Can you guess why? This name reveals two secrets. The first one was that she was named by a child. And the second was that the child loved the film Frozen. Many dogs named by children reflect their favourite characters from movies or TV. Not only can you guess there’s a child in the family, you can also guess their age or the age they were when the dog was named. Think back to the Lion King and all the dogs called Simba or Nala. Or the Harry Potter films spawning lots of dogs called Dobby. Which is fitting since Dobby’s appearance was based on a Jack Russell dog.
Solo
Adults too take their naming inspirations from favourite TV shows, films, books and popular culture. In my experience, Star Trek seems one of the most popular. From the straightforward Kirk to the more hardcore/obscure Yeoman Rand, I’ve met a fair few. My own dog Solo was named after Han Solo from Star Wars, but also reflected where I was in my life. I was just starting out in my own business as a sole trader so his name was apt on two fronts. And let’s not leave out the cats. My cat Pan is named after Lyra’s daemon from the Philip Pullman ‘His Dark Materials’ books.
A new trend, apparently, is to call ‘Lockdown Puppies’ (those bought during the pandemic) Covie. I’m not sure I’d a) want to shout that in the park or b) want to be reminded of this terrible time. But each to their own.
Ettie
And so to my youngest dog, Ettie. What secret is she carrying? She is named after one of my favourite places in the world, Glen Etive. Glen Etive is a beautiful part of the stunning Glencoe area of Scotland. Lots of dogs are named after favourite places. They don’t have to be places that folks have visited, but they are often places that mean something to the namer. They might represent a dream or hark back to a memory. And of course, they might just have a nice ring to them. I’ve known lots of dogs named after Scottish Islands. Think Skye, Isla, Harris, Iona, Jura, but I’m doubtful that all the namers have visited them. But you never know.
It might not be the specific location that inspired the name, it might be the heritage. Us Scots are well known for being evangelical about Scotland, especially when we don’t live there! And I’m sure it’s the same for many other nationalities. This more subtle secret reveals heritage. So you might get Scottie (Scotland), Brooklyn (USA) or Hiro (Japan) Or you might get the heritage of the dog. Hence Heidi for a St. Bernard or Bryn for a Welsh Springer Spaniel.
Tablet
Food names are also popular, giving away the secrets of our favourite nibbles and drinks. How many chocolate lovers do you know that named their chocolate labrador Coco or Wispa or Cadbury? I’ve met lots of Cookies and more than a few Buds (although this is also short for one of the most popular dog names Buddy) I’ve heard of dogs being called Biscuit, Pepsi and Tablet. Tablet is Amie’s cocker spaniel and he was named after the Scottish super sweet confection. This gives up two secrets – Amie’s love of Scotland and of the Scottish sweet treat.
Some of my favourite names are those that are given with humour. One dear friend has two large rotties called Dinky and Bunny. I like tiny dogs being called Fang or Rocky. And I enjoy the old classics, like Jimmy (for Jimmy Choo), Chewie (Chewbacca), Santa (Santa ‘Paws’)
Play the naming game
If we’re not revealing our favourite foods, we are signposting our favourite people. I’ve known dogs named after WW2 pilots, scientists, explorers, politicians, sports people, and doctors. Each name reveals the namers’ political leanings, interests, heroes. I find it so fascinating that the naming of a dog can carry so much information. From whether the family has children, to nationality, favourite food, heroes, interests. Guessing these secrets is a great game. Try it, see how often you’re right.
With all these secrets being revealed, I can’t omit the dogs who have been named simply because the namer likes the name. The most popular names, in the West at least, continue to be Max, Bella, Charlie, Lucy, Bailey and Daisy. All sweet names and all popular for good reason. Classics each and every one.
Your naming story
I would love to hear the story behind your dog’s name so please share it in the comments.
Arrow, my late GSD was named after the lead character’s pet in Harry Nilsson’s album The Point. After I heard it way back in the early 70s I saved the name until I had a dog with pointy ears. Buffy was supposed to be Beryl, after The Dandy character as a tongue in cheek homage to my friend’s dog who was named Dennis. However, once we met, that changed……………..Before that I had a Vera, who was supposed to be called Wilma, but her breeder, a friend, refused to allow me to have her if she was going to be called that and Twiggy was named because of her long eyelashes and also because she ate the Rosemary Bush in her first week home! Smokey was named due to his colour and my first dog, a mutt, was named Ulle after the Old Norse “will, determination” due to the effort I had to make to acquire her!
It’s funny how some dogs suit some names more than others. I agree, can’t imagine an Arrow with floppy ears lol! I can’t imagine Buffy as a Beryl, she’s much more kick-ass than that! And Twiggy, what a great name story she has.
I’ve got a ‘Skye’ I’m not Scottish and I’ve never been to Skye but I long to go one day. I’ve made it as far as Mull and the friends I met there were quite put out that I’d called her after the ‘wrong’ Scottish island 🤣So she now has two middle names and is known as
Skye Mull Iona Wherry 🤣 My friend has Skye’s litter mate and she wanted to sort of name match and was thinking of Ailsa Craig. They ended up calling her Elsa simplifying Ailsa and also after the lion in Born Free ! Not Frozen 🥶
I love that. Her name was somewhere you wanted to go but you added to it as you discovered the islands for yourselves. And then to have the theme adopted and adapted by other members of Skye’s family is fabulous!
Both my GSD’s were already named when I got them, as they ‘fit’ so well, we didn’t change them. Boo, because he was so scared, of everything, and Monty, because of his dysplastic shoulder, and hips. That does date me, and takes some explaining to young vets….
Ha, names can date us so easily. Boo is the perfect name for your sweet lad.
Aster didn’t get her name until over a week after she arrived home! We’d picked her out when she was 3 weeks old and spent the next 5 weeks arguing at home about what she should be called! Our first Springer was called Rosie (a popular name and we just liked it, but also) after a flower as her parents were Cedar and Willow (trees). When we got our next Springer she was instantly Poppy, in keeping with the floral theme. I like natural names, not people names for dogs (despite both of those being popular people names as well!) – and wanted the next one to be Bracken or Bramble, but nobody at home liked either of those!! As she’s a family dog, I didn’t have the monopoly on naming her so we tossed around several options until settling on Aster – also a flower (although my sons like a character called Astor in a tv show and wanted to spell it that way). In hindsight I wish we’d chosen something else as I’m forever having to explain it!! We also call her The Asteroid as she runs so fast, so that helps, but one day I met a woman whose grand-daughter is also Aster – that was amazing! Previous dogs we had were Lucy and Mandy (both named before they arrived from rescues, and we thought they had enough upheaval in their lives without changing their names as well!), so I often wonder how they got their names. It seems days are long gone now when people used to call their dogs Brownie or Blackie or Snowy, but I long to have one called Spot for some unaccountable reason!!
Hindsight is a great thing when it comes to spelling. Hence why my cat is always referred to as Pan rather than his full name Pantalaimon!