Choosing the proper name for your dog is an important decision...you want to capture his personality and show your originality. But if the name is a tongue twister, the poor pup is going to be continually confused! Mighty Montezuma Maximillion might be an impressive name, but if you are in the yard at 4 AM calling your new pup, chances are he has lost interest by the time you reach the 4th syllable! Also, a name can define how people will react to your dog. The Doberman named 'Murder' is not going to get much petting! Some breeds get enough bad press without adding to it with names like 'Killer' or 'Mayhem'.
The experts say the ideal name is two syllables ending with a vowel sound, "Monty", for example. Of course there is no hard and fast rule--choose a name you like. Chances are your dog will have many nicknames soon, anyway!
My Favorites
Here is a list of names that I keep...you never know when a dog may pop into your life and need a name!
| Fagen | Pickpocket from Oliver Twist |
| Sullivan Ballou | Civil War soldier from Rhode Island |
| Banshee | A screaming ghost (Irish) |
| Ruckus | For the dog who can't be ignored |
| Havoc | "Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of war" |
| Claus | For the German dog |
| Lazlo | I'm a Casablanca fan! |
| Drago | A nice name for a Doberman Pinscher |
| Eponine | From Les Miz (could be 'Pony' for short) |
| Evangeline | Means 'God's little angel' |
| Rob Roy | Scottish hero |
| Roadie | Perfect with the call name "I'm With the Band" |
| Panache | For the French dog |
| Credence | A German Shepherd, perhaps |
| Topo | Spanish for 'mouse' |
| Fagen | Pickpocket from Oliver Twist |
| Sullivan Ballou | Civil War soldier from Rhode Island |
| Banshee | A screaming ghost (Irish) |
| Ruckus | For the dog who can't be ignored |
| Havoc | "Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of war" |
| Claus | For the German dog |
| Lazlo | I'm a Casablanca fan! |
| Drago | A nice name for a Doberman Pinscher |
| Eponine | From Les Miz (could be 'Pony' for short) |
| Evangeline | Means 'God's little angel' |
| Rob Roy | Scottish hero |
| Roadie | Perfect with the call name "I'm With the Band" |
| Panache | For the French dog |
| Credence | A German Shepherd, perhaps |
| Topo | Spanish for 'mouse' |
| Pugnacious | For a Pug, of course! |
| Ceili | Irish, means 'dance' (KAY-lee) |
| Cogito | Latin, means "I think" |
| Dirigo | Latin, means "I lead" |
| Diggity | Hot-diggity-dog! |
| Haggis | A Scottish sausage |
| Boo & Atticus | From 'To Kill a Mockingbird', great for a pair of dogs |
| Willa | For a Whippet, perhaps |
| Drover | A cattle herder |
| Mo Ghile Mear | Scottish, means "Our Hero" (ma-HIL-lamar) |
| Lyric | For a Collie or Irish Setter, perhaps |
| Moby | For the swimming dog |
| Arto | A derivation of Arthur |
| Kuma | Japanese for "bear"--for an Akita, perhaps |
| Bjorn | Norwegian for "bear" |
| Sebaka | Russian for "dog" |
| Rafiki | Swahili for "friend" |
| Presto | Italian for "swift"--for an Italian Greyhound, perhaps |
| Tro | Danish for "loyal"--for a Great Dane |
| Carrey | Manx Gaelic for "friend" |
| Fala | FDR's little Scottie |
| Laika | "Barker" in Russion...also the Russian space dog |
| Asta | The dog in the "Thin Man" series |
| Pilot | Rochester's dog in Jane Eyre |
| Sirius | Orion's dog--the dog star |
| Thane | One of the dogs from Albert Payson Terhune's series |
| Treve | Also from Terhune's Lad: a Dog series |
| Zorba | Great name for a big dog, full of life |
| Maida | Sir Walter Scott's Deerhound (her epitaph is "Sleep soundly, Maida, at the Master's door") |
| Boatswain | Lord Byron's beloved dog. Byron had this epitaph
carved for Boatswain: One who possessed Beauty
without Vanity, |
| Moretto | Lord Byron's bulldog |
| Argus | Ulysses' faithful dog |
| Mrs. Bouncer | Charles Dickens' white Pomeranian |
| Bumble | Charles Dickens' Newfoundland |
| Dash | For the speedy dog |
| Genghis | For a chow perhaps |
| Jip | One of Abraham Lincoln's dogs; found as a stray |
| Mafia | Marilyn Monroe's poodle...a gift from Frank Sinatra |
| Sailor | For the nautical dog, also "Sailor Boy" was the name of Teddy Roosevelt's Chesapeake |
| Bonsai | For the little tiny dog |
| Clipper | JFK's German Shepherd |
| Shannon | JFK's Irish Spaniel |
| Winks | FDR's setter |
| Schatzi | "Sweetheart" in German |
| Scribble | For the dog who is all over the place |
| Chaos | For the dog you can't ignore! |
| Starbuck | For the seafaring dog |
| Stubb | Goes well with Starbuck--Captain Ahab's first and second mates |
| Dux | Latin for "Leader" |
Links to More Names
| 2000 Dog Names | The name says it all! Some cat names, too. |
| Pet Names with Personality | Has a Pet Name Search Engine |
| Index of Famous Dogs | From "Ace" the BatHound to "Zvevdotchka" the Sputnik dog. A great site! |
Thanks to these sites for their great dog graphics!:
