By Chelsea Chan
Many of us have personal reasons or connections to the why we name our pets the way we do. Whether it’s a favorite character from a movie, favorite food, or culture, somehow the right one finds us. Our pets give us a new meaning to the name, as their personalities blossom and they become who they are. Over the decades, there have been trending names and different meanings behind why we pick them!
Back in 1939, a radio contest had 116,000 dogs entered with their names. From that resulted in 1400 were named Prince, 1200 were Queenie, 1000 Spot, 500 Rover, and 30 each named Rags, Towser, Muggsie and Fido. A popular comic-strip in 1946 brought the names Butch and Sandy into popularity. Also, the two world wars gave a lift to Colonel, Major, Captain and General.
Today in the US the 10 most popular names are Luna, Max, Bella, Charlie, Daisy, Cooper, Maggie and Teddy. Do any of these names ring a bell? There are many names these days we likely know a dog with. Especially being in the petting sitting business, we quickly realize which names are very common! It is also more common these days to see pets with human like names, such as Molly or Charlie. The same way we see human names change over the decades, our pets’ names do too.
Sometimes the behaviors of our pet are what help us come up with a name. They can give you all the inspiration you need. Their actions, or their looks might remind you of someone. Your pet might be on the silly side, and you come up with Bullwinkle, Elmo or Taco. Maybe they look scary, and you want a name to fit like Cujo, Diablo or Dracula. My first dog was a Doberman and his name was Kuno, which meant brave. Let’s just say brave was the last thing that he was!
Whatever you come up with to name your pet, it will be special to you and that’s all that counts! A unique story or a meaningful purpose, our love for them will always grow.
I want to take the time to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and new year. Stay safe, warm, and PetMinders is here for all your pet care needs!
