Are These Famous Dog Names Right for Your Puppy?
One of the most enjoyable tasks for new dog owners is to choose a name for their puppy. While some pet owners stick to traditional dog names or go with old family favorites, many dog owners want to be more creative. Keystone Puppies has put together a few lists of famous dog names from books, movies, cartoons, or TV shows to help you to think of the perfect name for your pup. (AND we did some research to find out which breeds these dogs represent.)
Take a look at these famous dog names, and see if any of them inspire you to get more creative when naming your own pets.
Dog Names from Beloved Cartoons
Cartoons often feature energetic, over-the-top pups who talk, sing, dance, or just get into lots of unlikely jams. Cartoon dogs also have some of the most imaginative and silly names.
Snoopy, the Beagle
Named for his curious nature, Charlie Brown’s Beagle also had a rich imagination. He is featured in the Peanut’s comic strips and cartoon specials, by Charles Schultz, and first appeared in 1950.
Pluto, the Mixed Breed
Pluto is named after the 9th planet (now classified as a dwarf planet) and is Mickey Mouse’s dog. Officially a mixed-breed dog, he’s seems close to a German Shorthaired Pointer in looks and temperament
Scoobert “Scooby” Doo, the Great Dane
This mystery-solving, snack-loving Great Dane’s groovy, silly name betrays his hippy heritage. His owner, Shaggy, takes Scooby on adventures in his brightly-colored van. The original cartoon series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, debuted at the end of the Summer of Love, in 1969.
Odie, the Dachshund Mix
Odie is a Viking nickname for the Norse god, Oden. This Dachshund mix is the clueless and always positive side-kick to Garfield, and has been around since 1978.
Lady, the Cocker Spaniel
This cultured Cocker Spaniel got her name because of her grace and poise. Lady debuted in the Disney animated film Lady and the Tramp in 1955.
Astro, the Great Dane
The Jetson’s high-energy Great Dane first appeared in a futuristic cartoon in 1962. His name was in line with the space-age theme of this Hanna-Barbera cartoon show.
Spike, the English Bulldog
Spike was already a traditionally macho dog name when the Looney Tunes introduced Spike, the English Bulldog in 1952. Many other unnamed English Bulldogs made appearances in other Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny cartoons over the next twenty years.
Marmaduke, the Great Dane
This mischievous Great Dane was given an intentionally grand name (an unusual Gaelic name meaning “leader of the seas”) to counteract his often bumbling adventures. Marmaduke was a newspaper comic strip from 1954 to 2015.
Jake, the English Bulldog
While it may be hard to tell by looking at him, Jake is an English Bulldog from the cartoon Adventure Time, currently running on the Cartoon Network.
Bandit, the English Bulldog
This pup from Johnny Quest, first aired in 1964, is reported to be an English Bulldog. His name was a trendy pet in the early sixties, but this Bandit was named for his distinctive mask-like markings.
Pup Names Inspired by Books
This history of literature is full of books about dogs. Whether its fiction that features with dog characters, or tributes to real life canines, books are full of good ideas for names for your next pup.
Lassie, the Collie
This Collie, was featured in the 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight, and was adapted to movies and into a tv series. Lassie is a common term of endearment in Scotland, where young boys and girls are often referred to as “laddies” and “lassies.”
Toto, the Cairn Terrier
While the book did not specify the breed, MGM ensured everyone envisions a Cairn Terrier, when they think of Toto from The Wizard of Oz. This book was originally written by Frank L. Baum, 1900, and then made into a motion picture by MGM in 1939. While many theories have developed about the rationale behind the name, the origins remain a mystery.
Buck, the Saint Bernard Mix
This Saint Bernard mix is the lead character in Call of the Wild by Jack London, published in 1903. Like Toto, the origins of the name “Buck” remain a mystery.
Old Yeller, the Yellow Labrador
This beloved dog is a Yellow Labrador mix, from the book Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson, published in 1942. This classic is a must-read for dog lovers, and was made into a classic movie in the 50’s. Old Yeller is country slang for “Old Yellow.”
Nana, the Newfoundland
The Newfoundland breed is famously good with children, which may be why J.M. Berrie chose this breed to double as the nanny in his 1904 classic, Peter Pan and Wendy. This protective pup is given the same name many 19th century nannies held in Britain; Nana.
Fang, the Neapolitan Mastiff
Although the name sounds ferocious, Fang is actually a lovable Neapolitan Mastiff is from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series, which began publishing in 1997. Fang is a gentle giant, like his master, the groundskeeper Hagrid.
Marley, the Yellow Lab
Marley is a lovable Yellow Labrador Retriever who was the real-life subject John Grogan’s 2005 best-seller, Marley, a Dog Like No Other. The book was made into a movie, and had a series of sequels for adults and children.
Shiloh, the Beagle
This dear Beagle was featured in the award-winning book Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor in 1991. The book is now considered a children’s classic and was made into a film.
Pongo, the Dalmatian
Pongo is definitely the world’s best known Dalmatian. This canine dad ends up caring for The Hundred and One Dalmatians in a book by Dodie Smith, first published in 1956. Disney subsequently made serval animated and live action films based on the book.
Cujo, the Saint Bernard
Cujo is about a terrifying Saint Bernard gone mad, from Stephen King’s 1981 best seller. In real life, Saint Bernards are famously gentle.
Dog Names inspired by Hollywood Movies
Hollywood knows that America loves dogs, which is why so many films feature dogs as the hero. Even when the dog plays a smaller role, their short appearances often steal the show, as Frank did in Men in Black or as Bruiser did in Legally Blond.
Beethoven, the Saint Bernard
This is the name of the adorable Saint Bernard pup from the 1992 movie, Beethoven.
Bruiser, the Chihuahua
This glamorous Chihuahua puppy was Elle’s sidekick in the blockbuster, Legally Blond, in 2001.
Hachiko or Hachi, the Shiba Inu
Hachiko, or Hachi, is the extraordinarily loyal Shiba Inu dog who was the inspiration for the 2009 tear-jerker, Hachi, A Dog’s Tale.
Petey, the American Pit Bull Terrier
Petey the Pit Bull Terrier was one of the most recognized dog for the first half of the 20th century. With a large circle drawn around one eye, Petey was one of the most beloved characters in The Little Rascals movies filmed throughout the 1930s.
Bud, the Golden Retriever
This lovable, and surprisingly athletic, Golden Retriever became an unlikely basketball star in the 1997 comedy, Air Bud.
Demon, Mack, Duchess, Yodel, Sniff, Mack, Diesel, Nana and Scooper, the Siberian Huskies
This group of dogs are the Siberian Huskies who start in the 2002 comedy film, Snow Dogs.
Pushkin, the Boston Terrier
While the 2010 film, Valentine’s Day, was packed with big Hollywood actors, the scenes with Pushkin the Boston Terrier were some of the very best in the movie.
Frank, the Pug
While Men in Black was filled with strange characters, Frank, the alien posing as wise-cracking Pug was one of the strangest visitors from outer space in this 1997 movie.
Bolt, the German Shepherd
This white German Shepherd was the dog-hero introduced in the animated movie, Bolt, in 2008.
Dug, the Golden Retriever
This persistent pup was introduced in the 2009 animated film, Up. Dug was a Golden Retriever.
Dog Names Pulled from Famous TV Shows
TV shows often cast dogs as family pets or energetic sidekicks. Take a look at these dog names to see if they inspire names for your own pup.
Elizabeth Taylor
In Sex in the City, Charlotte’s puppy was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named after her favorite actress and role model. The show ran from 1998 -2004.
Eddie
This spunky Jack Russell Terrier pup was a part of the sitcom Frasier, which ran from 1993-2004.
Stella
This personable French Bulldog is Jay Pritchard’s beloved dog on Modern Family, a sitcom currently on the air.
Brian
This sassy, animated pup from Family Guy, is a white, or English Cream Labrador, This talking dog debuted in 1999, and still running today.
Comet
The snuggly Golden Retriever from Full House was the beloved family pet of the Tanner family from 1987-1995.
Mignon
This feisty Yorkshire Terrier puppy was Eva Gabor’s lovable lapdog in the 60’s sitcom, Green Acres.
Nymeria
This fictional dog breed, a direwold, belongs to Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, a series currently running on HBO. If you want a gentler version of the direwolf, an Alaskan Malamute might be a good substitute.
Pharaoh, Isis, and Tia, Yellow Labrador Retrievers
A series of Yellow Labrador Retrievers played the beloved canine companion of Lord Grantham in Downtown Abbey. The series ran from 2011 – 2016, and during the series, three pets made appearances, all with names connected to ancient Egypt.
Zeus and Apollo, the Doberman Pinschers
Whether you prefer the 1980 original or the current remake of Magnum PI, you’ll enjoy the life, energy, and comedy the two handsome Doberman Pinscher dogs bring to the series.
