Your new dog is everything you would have hoped; sweet, furry, and super cute. The only thing your puppy is missing is a moniker, and a good one at that. “Puppy” and “sweetie” can only go so far. In this article I’ll try and show you the best and inventive ways to give your dog a great name worthy of his character.
- Try a baby name book. An obvious choice, a baby name book has thousands and thousands of names, and sometimes even a description of what the name means. Think of adjectives that describe your dog, and see if you can find a name which fits that quality.
- Flip through a dictionary and point randomly at a page. Sometimes this is a great way to find your pet an amusing and personal name. Although you will probably come across some that will obviously not work, keep trying. This is how a friend of mine named her dog. While flipping through the dictionary, she set her finger on “Rio de Janeiro.” And now the dog is named Rio, and the name fits perfectly.
- Find names of gods and goddesses. This is another great way to get your dog a unique name that means something. Look through a Greek mythology book at the library, or look at a website full of Greek or Roman names. KatyBerry provides a listing of Greek and Roman goddesses, and there is quite a selection. FolkloreAndMyth offers a list of gods and goddesses from many different cultures.
- Consider the names of people you may know, or have known. This sounds basic and somewhat strange, but you can actually come up with some great names if you think about it. We had a dog named Byron who was named after a man who worked with my mother.
- Remember the basic names. While popular and well-known, the basic dog names are a quick and easy way to give your dog a name that’s tested and true. Common names: Fido, Max, Buddy, Annie, Sam, Daisy, etc.
- Try a different language. Forget the common, basic English names. You want something with some pizazz! Foreign languages have all sorts of neat names that mean interesting things, and sound great, too. Some Spanish examples: Bernardo, Berto, Ciro, Felipe, Guido, and Orlo. To make them feminine, change the “o” to an “a.” And if you want to change the name a bit, try adding an “ito” or “ita” it to the end of the name. Example: Orlo can become Orlito or Orlita. French dog names: Adele, Andre, Beaux, Bisou, Elisa, Gunter, Laia, etc. And so on…..
- Try many of the websites made specially for dog names. There’s a great listing at GeoCities. You can also do a basic web search on Yahoo! or Google using the search terms “dog names” and you’ll get loads of results. If you are looking for foreign language names, type in “dog names, French language.” Many of these sites have thousands and thousands of names to look at, from the most basic names to the more eccentric.
After you find your name, ask your family to see if they like it as much as you do. And don’t forget to see if your dog likes it as well!