How do you name your pets?

I have three cats. My daughter named one Juniper. I named one Nukazuke. The other came to us from my dad with the name Orca.

Orca is a tuxedo cat with a fair amount of white, so guessing how my dad named him is a no-brainer.

When I was naming nukazuke, I came up with a list of names including solicitations from my wife and daughter. But it was my turn to pick, so it was my call, but I also didn't want anything they hated. We ended up using a spreadsheet for ranking and sum-of-squares to eliminate the ones without enough love. Which helped me take the list down from: Tangerine, Circe, Miso, Nukazuke, Eleven, Manticore, Wanda, Lady Mary, Shishito, Aardvark, Scarlet Witch, Kissa, KittyKorn to just: Tangerine, Circe, Miso, and Nukazuke. And then after a couple of days mulling it over, I chose Nukazuke. Kivi liked it OK and Cathy didn't particularly but has grown to love it. So that worked out.

Juniper was going to be Luna for quite a while but Kivi was eleven or something at the time and Cathy and I were making suggestions and at the last minute, Kivi took my suggested Juniper and that was that. Kivi has spent the last decade or so building up a notes document with possible cat names she's liked for her next shot.

And our next cat will be named by Cathy. She and I have very different tastes in naming, so I don't expect to love whatever she picks.

So it seems like people sometimes have a name independent of the animal's traits that they like -- maybe they read about the name or there's a character in a beloved book, play, or film they want to honor. And other times people wait to get to know the beast and see what fits. And there are a million variations on those general themes.

What do you do?

We used to name them after relatives.  Now we really don’t have a system.  We wait, and the right name seems to come to us. We have had a couple of pets who clearly did not like the name we gave them … so we tried a different name that 5hey clearly like better. Those pets we get from a shelter, we keep the names they have.  

Sometimes names are assigned by characteristics.  One cat we adopted (the man running the animal shelter brought him to me at my job)  was a very street wise leader. His name was Vito.  He was very calm and intelligent, but never mess with him.

A few names have been assigned out of desperation. We had two dumpster kittens named Sissy and Bro.

Then there was the Persian that was all personality.  She was Rug Rat … and Miss Fuzzy Cheeks … and Aunt Muffy.  Yes, she had many names. We lived in an area with a number of single older women, and she would sponge breakfast off of each one. And each had a name for her. And, she knew all of her names.

A cat showed up at my house, I named him Stanley. I had a dog named Ethel and a dog named Wilbur. I have a fish named Carl and a pair of semi-tame crows named Percey and Lucille. The neighbor's dog answers best to Critter. Past pets include cats, Cleopatra, Geremia and Pete. Dogs include Lad, Thief and Wheezy.  

I have been making a list for many years when I read of character names that sound like good cat names. I write the name, the language it came out of, and the meaning if it has one. When I get a new cat I give them time to let me learn who they are, then I go to my list and see what name will fit them.

I pick a name that is descriptive of their looks or personality for their "face name," their basic daily use name. Vala (The Impeder) is out of Hindu mythology, and that cat got under your feet ALL the time, impeded my ability to move anywhere. Nejmah (Star in Arabic) had a star pattern on his face.

Their face name is something simple, but their full name gets complex. My cats tend to end up with accumulative names as they earn them.  One cat had D'Meccanican (The Mechanic in I think Italian?) added to her name because any car she was near, she'd go under it and look incredibly intensely at the entire underside. I never figured out what she was doing, but she did it her whole life. Inspecting for leaks or wiring problems maybe?

I think cats (and dogs and other animals) need good names.

I like to go with my gut feelings. I may not name an animal for a while as the idea develops but eventually SOMETHING comes to mind.

This however is not infallible and the names don't always stick. I like to refer to their first name as their "Government Name" which is used in places for licensing and veterinarian needs. They however generally are blessed with a ridiculously name that they are more commonly referred to.

Ruthie the Plott Hound turned into Roop-a-poop-a-lin.

Loy the Dachshund has turned into Noodle.

Christopher Weeks wrote:I have three cats. My daughter named one Juniper. I named one Nukazuke. The other came to us from my dad with the name Orca.

Orca is a tuxedo cat with a fair amount of white, so guessing how my dad named him is a no-brainer.

When I was naming nukazuke, I came up with a list of names including solicitations from my wife and daughter. But it was my turn to pick, so it was my call, but I also didn't want anything they hated. We ended up using a spreadsheet for ranking and sum-of-squares to eliminate the ones without enough love. Which helped me take the list down from: Tangerine, Circe, Miso, Nukazuke, Eleven, Manticore, Wanda, Lady Mary, Shishito, Aardvark, Scarlet Witch, Kissa, KittyKorn to just: Tangerine, Circe, Miso, and Nukazuke. And then after a couple of days mulling it over, I chose Nukazuke. Kivi liked it OK and Cathy didn't particularly but has grown to love it. So that worked out.

Juniper was going to be Luna for quite a while but Kivi was eleven or something at the time and Cathy and I were making suggestions and at the last minute, Kivi took my suggested Juniper and that was that. Kivi has spent the last decade or so building up a notes document with possible cat names she's liked for her next shot.

And our next cat will be named by Cathy. She and I have very different tastes in naming, so I don't expect to love whatever she picks.

So it seems like people sometimes have a name independent of the animal's traits that they like -- maybe they read about the name or there's a character in a beloved book, play, or film they want to honor. And other times people wait to get to know the beast and see what fits. And there are a million variations on those general themes.

What do you do?

Mine is called Darenal. I think its a cute name for my little pug.

Our dogs have mostly been named after previous dogs.

Our first German shepherd was Ranger.  Many years later  the next German shepherd was named Ranger.

In between those two we had a poodle name Fuzzy, that name might have been given to him by his previous owner. Then came Gina another poodle whose owner named her.

Then we had a Malamute named Duke.

After the 2nd Ranger came more German shepherds we named Lady, Baron and Alex.

Our dachshunds were Sierra and Trouble.

The one and only cat is named Tiny.  I like to call her Tiny Kitty.

I don't normally have a chance to. Did name a goat Maverick, but out of dogs, cats, chickens, goats, ducks, my wife and kids name them.

We don't name the pigs, except the boar came to us with the name Gordo. He's never getting eatin though, we need him for breeding.

John F Dean wrote:...  We wait, and the right name seems to come to us. We have had a couple of pets who clearly did not like the name we gave them … so we tried a different name that they clearly like better.  

I have a lot of farm animals...
I try to restrict naming to the Muscovy and the Geese, and I try to get them to tell me their name, which is how I ended up with a duck named Butterfly, and a goose named Blossom.
I do sometimes resort to themes, which is how I ended up with Gandalf the Grey (Drake) and Galadriel recently, and an older duck named Sting. (she is a total brat and truly earned that name)

I also believe the name will appear when the time is right. my shepherd dog required a few months to get his name (in the meantime he was "potato", and we screwed things up by not defining a "government name", since his microchip and vet files are still under Potato....).

Both of my most recent dogs had their personalities choose the name. Nacho was the canine equivalent of Jack Black in Nacho Libre- a bruiser with a heart of gold. Mookie Bites is not named after Mookie Betts the baseball player, but rather after Mookie from Do the Right Thing, as he is also just trying to do the right thing (if he can ever figure out exactly what that thing might be). And yeah, he bites.

The rabbits, it depends. Mochi and Obake were sort of easy names that described their looks. Benito Mussolini is named after her evil personality (and even after I realized she was a girl, she stayed Benito). Then we had Large Marge, who kind of speaks for herself. A new rabbit is inbound in the next few weeks, watch this space....

Anne Miller wrote:Our eogs have mostly been named after previous dogs.

My neighbor is in his 70's, has had 7 dogs but only one dog at a time. They were all named Sammy, including the one he has now.

I thought that was pretty clever.

My grandma called her cats and dogs either by the name they had when they became hers (Linus and Oreo that I recall) or more frequently by Cat, Dog, and Puppy (who lived to be 13 but kept that name) if they were strays or she got them before they were named.

Unless a critter comes to me already named, I usually let them tell me their name by way of personality traits/ behaviors. We had guinea pigs for several years, that we brought home a a bonded pair. One was fearless, adventurous, inquisitive, and always investigating something, earning her the name Nellie Bligh, after the very famous, daring, brave investigative journalist. Her buddy, however, was easily startled and would instantly 'freeze' at the slightest noise, shadow, sudden motion, etc. She froze so instantly John decided she was rock-like, and named her Rocksy.

My little girl cavalier is Charlie - because she is such a little 'Dickens'. Bailey, or Irish Wolfhound has always been incredibly strong - much like Irish whiskey, but SO much sweeter! The youngest of our dogs, also a cavalier, and I waffles on her name, for a while, between Minxy & Vixen. But, she was my Christmas gift from John, and came home in December, so I settled on Vixin (because while she's definitely a little vixen, she's also uniquely and aggressively affectionate, so she needed some uniqueness in her name, too).

We name livestock the same way.

Dogs need one or two syllable names as we need to call them from long distances. Our animals are rehomed from elsewhere.

Our Anatolians arrived with their names, Beksi and Korumak, Turkish for 'guard' and 'defender'. Mak and Beksi. Names evolve over time, of course, always via personality or behavior. 'Bucky' is a tad....masculine...125lbs. hard working and fearless. Her brother, Mak and Cheese, Mr. Cheese, has an attention loving, head wagging personality he likes to flash from time to time.

Out little Marema pup, 'the energetic trouble maker/pain in the a** ' showed us her hand early and became Kitka, Finnish for trouble. Has what has got to be one of the cutest traits of all time. Sees you after an absence, will look quickly around for a 'present'. Spruce cone, small stick, tuft of straw, etc. Picks it up and approaches you slowly, shuffling, head softly down, waiting for you to recognize her. Thickest white coat ever. Fluffalupagus.

Our Caucasian Shepherd arrived as George, unimaginative at best. I asked him to do something inside shortly after we arrived home. He politely disagreed and put his head down and pushed with all his 160lbs. Broad shoulders, narrower hips. We are renaming him slowly, Sonni, Finnish for bull. Boy George when he is being a tool, picking fights with Mak, Sonni G is his gangster persona when working at night.

Our new Pyrenees was named Sebastian. Three syllables, too long. We found out he can open doors to take himself for a walkabout, and has opened the refrigerator to share the Atwood smoked meat sticks he knew were within with his siblings. His name will be Darwin, because he has evolved.

Our adults arrived with names, our little kittens.....
The black/Maine Coon mix, grew to be a little ninja murderer. Hattori Hanso.
Our tabbies. The grey one had a habit of looking at you with a tilted head like the little elf from 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' said Lil'B. Herme, the elf who wanted to be a dentist. Herme's orange/orange eyed brother, is of course, Bert. Bert and Herme.

She determined her own name.

By hook or by crook, she was determined to get inside the house.

And once in she would investigate and touch all kinds of
objects which my wife wish she wouldn't.

And when she attempted to, we would exclaim "No touching"
after the famous rule in the batshit crazy and funny Korean
Drama Mr Queen.

So "no-touch-ing" she became. I would spit on my palms and
rub her head.

  First rub "No".
  Second rub "touch".
  Third "ching".
  Pause and repeat.

We didn't use to reveal their names to our cats. But if you needed
to summon them, how?

Why was she desperate to come into the house?
Because I was her cat mom. I am the only mother
she has ever known.

The cat distribution system was late.

After Mittens took the Long Walk,
days passed. Then weeks. Then Months.

Once morning at the morning market, there looked like
a dead kitten near the leg of a chair. It was tiny with a
bulging belly. No sign of a mother anywhere.

By noon when the market cleared, cars would come and park.
If she didn't get run over, at night the rats would finish her off.

I did my rounds and came back. She had just moved a couple
of feet and lay seemingly lifeless.

OK, looks like you're the next cat. I picked her up and carried
her home and all the while she was screaming the way only
a tiny kitten can.

My wife didn't want her in the house but she would climb
the grill and somehow get in.

Before we could spay her, she got pregnant.
Then Pooja joined us. He (already neutered)
showed up famished and wouldn't leave.  
He would mysteriously die at the vet
exactly 2 years after a hit-and run took Notouching.
19Oct2023 and then 19Oct 2025. My 9-11.  

4 kittens.

One disappeared somehow. Two were to go to a neighbour
who was late in collecting them and by that time they
resisted, bit her and found their way back.

I decided to keep them because Notouching was
no more.

So 3 names required.

I decided to name them after South Korean actors/actresses.

3 syllables per name. Just right.

So Jang-guen-suk, Ha-ji-won and Lee-seung-gi.

After breakfast Jang-guen-suk took a nap and never woke up.

Ha-ji-won was poisoned. My neighbour is the only one
to get regular visits from the Rentokil van.

Only Lee-seung-gi remains.

I think and still think the Angel of Death came calling and each took a bullet meant for me.

I name my animals based on spending time with them and seeing what their personality and physicality brings up. The name has to embody some quality and fit who they are and what they bring.
No other considerations.

My wife names most of the chickens, the cats and I name the dogs.
I call the all the cats "gato", because they don't give a dang about names.

I have named only 3 of the chickens, a rooster that looked like Sammy Haggar, so Sammy.  One chicken that jumps in my truck if I leave the door open for to long, Hitchhiker, (she is about 9 years old) and another 9 year old chicken I call Henrietta. I think I was watching some show with one of my grandkids when there was a chicken called that.

One of my sons names his dogs after things to do with fire:  Blaze, Ash, etc.  Another named his dogs Carbon and Steel.

When we get a new dog I usually name them after some trait they show in the first few day.  We have adopted several senior dogs over the years and just keep their names they had because they are used to them.

My husband came with a dog named Ayu (say hey you with a Boston accent) and a cat named Damn Cat. The vet refused to call her that and  it was DC on all of her paperwork.

Ayu was rescued by him on a dangerously cold night in the north end. He saw the 1yr old dog trying to keep warm in a pile of debris in an alley way. Husband tried to lure him into the warm with a piece of steak. Nothing doing. But a bowl of water got his attention. When husband got him home 'up north', dog sat in the corner waiting for the door to open and make his escape. Once free, dog headed west, down the middle of the ice covered country road. The plow truck was coming east on same said road. Husband chased after calling dog, every name he could think of... Fido, woofy, finally in frustration husband yelled Ay you! Dog turned around and ran back to him.

The cat got her name when she distributed crackers, dog cookies, butter wrappers (formerly butter sticks) and toilet paper (all of which had been placed out of reach above the refrigerator) all over the house in some strange game she and Ayu where playing... Husband came home, saw the disaster and exclaimed "that damn cat" to which she trotted over and smiled. Really.

I once named a cat by randomly opening the phone book - Sunborne Emerson.